LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Shelf ..,-fej- 

UNITED STATES OF AMEEIOA. 



THE ^ 



WAY OF SALVAT I0:N^^-^^ 



THE LUTHERAN CHURCH. 



REA^. G?'h/gEEBERDING, A. M., 

PASTOR OV ST. JAMES EVATsGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, JEWETT, OHIO. 



WRITTEN FOR THE COMMON PEOPLE. 



WITH AN INTRODUCTION 

BY 

REV. M. RHODES, D. D. 



PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR. 




LUTHERAN PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 

PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



\ 



Thb Lomlaet 

OP COMGRBW 






£■ 



Copyrighted, 1887, 

BY 

G. H. GERBERDING. 



TO 
THE UNITED ENGLISH LUTHERAN CHURCH 
OF THE FUTURE ; 
JOINED TOGETHER IN THE BO><DS OF ONE FAITH, ACTU- 
ATED BY ONE SPIRIT, WORKING HAND IN HAND AND 
HEART WITH HEART IN ONE GENERAL BODT, 
THIS BOOK IS HOPEFULLY DEDICATED 
BY 
THE ^TJTHOR. 



^=s^ 



w 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Introduction • 9 

Preparatory Scripture Passages 11 



CHAPTER I. 
All are Sinners . , • 13 

CHAPTER n. 

All that is Bora of the Flesh must be Born of the Spirit. . . 19 

CHAPTER HI. 
The Present, a Dispensation of Means . 26 

CHAPTER IV. 
Baptism, a Divinely Instituted Means of Grrace 33 

CHAPTER Y. 

The Baptismal Covenant can be kept unbroken — Aim and 
Responsibility of Parents 41 

CHAPTER VI. 
Home Influence and Training in their Relation to the Keeping 

of the Baptismal Covenant 48 

(V) 



VI CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER yil. 
The Sunday School in its Relation to the Baptized Children 
of Christian Parents 55 

CHAPTER Yin. 
The Sunday School — Its relation to those in Covenant Rela- 
tionship with Christ, and also to the Unbaptized and Wan- 
dering 61 

CHAPTER IX. 
Catechisation 67 

CHAPTER X. 

Contents, Arrangement and Excellence of Luther's Small 
Catechism 72 

CHAPTER XI. 
Manner and Object of Teaching Luther's Catechism .... 79 

CHAPTER XII. 
Confirmation 86 

CHAPTER XIII. 
The Lord's Supper — Preliminary Observations 93 

CHAPTER XIV. 
The Lord's Supper, Continued 99 

CHAPTER XV. 
The Lord's Supper, Concluded 105 



CONTENTS. Vll 



PAGE 

CHAPTER XVI. 



The Preparatory Service, Sometimes Called the Confessional 
Service 114 

CHAPTER XVH. 
The "Word as a Means of Grace 123 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Conversion - Its Nature and Necessity 131 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Conversion — Varied Phenomena or Experiences 138 

CHAPTER XX. 

Conversion — Human Agency 147 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Justification 156 

CHAPTER XXII. 
Sanctification 164 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
Revivals 173 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Modern Revivals 181 



Vni CONTENTS. 

PAGK 

CHAPTER XXY. 
Modeiu Revivals, CoiitiDued 190 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
Modern Revivals, Concluded 199 

CHAPTER XX Vn. 
True Revivals 310 

CHAPTER XXYIH. 

Conclusion 218 

My Church ! My Church ! My dear Old Church ! 22G 



INTRODUCTION. 



T TAKE pleasure in commending this unpretentious 
-*- volume to the prayerful attention of all English- 
speaking ministers and members of the Lutheran 
Church. The aim of the author is to present a clear, 
concise, and yet comprehensive view as possible, of 
the way of salvation as taught in the Scriptures, and 
held by the Lutheran Church. That he has accom- 
plished his task so as to make it throughout an illus- 
tration of the truth as it is in Jesus, and a correct 
testimony to the faith of the Church of which he is an 
honored minister. I believe will appear to all who 
read with an unbiased mind, and a knowledge of the 
sources of information from which he has drawn. 
There is always need for such a candid and consider- 
ate statement of fundamental truth as this. The signs 
of the times clearly indicate that there is no security 
for the Church save in maintaining the Apostolic 
faith and spirit — not the one without the other, but 
the one with the other. The supremacy of the Scrip- 
tures needs to be recognized with a mightier empha- 
sis not only of the intellect, but also of the heart. 
This vital conjunction is maintained in this book. I 
am certain that a clear view of the way of salvation 
as taught by the Scriptures and held by the Church 
2 (9) 



10 INTRO nucTio^r. 

will go far not only toward correcting wrong impres- 
sions, but will tend to the relief of mnch mental per- 
plexity, and to the increase of that much-needed spirit 
of unity throughout our Church, the want of which 
is not only the greatest reflection on her noble history 
and holy faith, but the greatest hindrance to her im- 
portant mission. A kindly Christ-like spirit pervades 
this book, which is no small testimony to its worth. 

Those who stand up for the truth do not always 
illustrate its spirit. Not all who might desire greater 
unity in the Church are qualified to promote it. The 
author of this little treatise has not only manifested 
the proper spirit, but he has shown as well the faculty 
of usiDg it for the increase of harmony, without the 
least disloyalty to the Scriptures, or to the standards 
of the Church. The appeal throughout is to the Word 
of Grod. The faith of the Church is subjected to this 
test, and it is maintained because it endures the test. 

These chapters present a continuity of thought 
which should not be lost sight of in the reading. In 
order to a correct verdict, they should not be read 
with such discrimination as would accept some and 
reject others, but from the first to the last in order. 
That this little book may be owned of God to the es- 
tablishment of the faith of the Lutheran Church, and 
for the promotion of a more manifest unity among 
those who bear her name, is a prayer in which I am 
sure many will join the author of this work, and the 
writer of this introductory note. 

M. EHODES. 

St. Louis, Mo., March, 1887. 



PREFATORY SCRIPTURE PASSAGES. 



To the Law and to the Testimony ; if they speak not according 
to this Word, it is because there is no light in them. — Isa. viii. 20. 

ThxLS saitlh the Lord ; Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ash for 
the old paths, where is the good loay and walk therein, and, ye shall 
find rest for your souls. — Jer. vi. 16. 

That we henceforth he no more children, tossed to and fro, and 
carried about with every wind of doctrine, hy the sleight of men, 
and cunning craftiness, tcherehy they lie in wait to deceive. But 
speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, 
which is the Head, even Christ. — Eph. iv. 14. 

Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines ; for it is 
a good tiling that the heart be established with grace. — Heb. xiii. 9. 

Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine; continue in 
them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that 
hear thee. — 1 Tim. iv. 16. 

Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of 
me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. — 2 Tim. i. 13. 

And be ready always to give an ansioer to every man that asketh 
you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. — 
1 Pet. iii. 15. 

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the com- 
mon salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and, exhort 
you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith, which was once 
delivered unto the saints. — Jude iii. 

For the time will comewhen they will not endure sound doctrine ; 
but after their own lusts they shall heap to themselves teachers hav- 
ing itching ears; and they sh(dl turn their ears away from the 
truth, and shall be tamed unto fables. — 2 Tim. iv. 34. 

(xi) 



Xll PREFATORY SCRIPTURE PASSAGES. 

Whosoever' transgresseth, and ahideth not in the doctrine of 
Christ, hath not God. He that ahideth in the doctrine of Christy 
he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you^ 
andhring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither 
hid him God-s2)eed. For lie that biddeth him God-speed is par- 
taker of his evil deeds. — 2 John 9, 10, 11. 

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the pro- 
phecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God 
shall add unto him the plagues that are icritten in this hook ; and 
if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this pro- 
phecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and 
out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this 
book. — Rev. xxii. 18, 19. 



THE WAY OF S4LVATI0N, 



s 



CHAPTEE I. 

ALL ARE SINNERS. ' 
OME time ago we overheard from a person who 
should have known better, remarks something like 
this : " I wonder how sinners are saved in the Luth- 
eran Church ? " " I do not hear of any being converted 
in the Lutheran Church," etc. These words called to 
mind similar sentiments that we heard expressed long 
ago. More than once was the remark made that in 
certain churches sinners were saved, because con- 
verted and sanctified, while it was at least doubtful 
whether such blessings could be found in the Lutheran 
Church The writer also freely confesses, that in 
those days, surrounded by such influences, " his feet 
had well-nigh slijyj^ed — his steps loere almost yoneT 
Therefore, he can sympathize with those honest ques- 
tioners, who have not had the privileges of instruction 
in the doctrines of sin and grace, and who are conse- 
quently in the dark. He has, therefore, concluded to 

(13) 



1-i THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

write a series of plain, practical papers on the "Way 
of Salvation in the Lutheran Church." It will be 
his endeavor to set forth the manner or method 
through which the Church of the Reformation pro- 
poses to reach the sinner, and apply to him the re- 
demption that is in Christ Jesus. 

The first question that presents itself is: Who are 
the subjects of salvation? The answer clearly is: 
All sinners. But, again. Whom does this embrace? 
The answer to this is not so unanimous. The views 
already begin to diverge. True, there is quite a sub- 
stantial harmony on this point among all the older 
Protestant Confessions of faith, but the harmony is not 
so manifest among the professed adherents to these 
Confessions. In many of these denominations there is 
a widespread skepticism as to the reality of original 
sin, or native depravity. Doubtless on this point the 
wish is father to the thought. The doctrine that, 
"after Adam's fall, all men begotten after the common 
course of nature, are born with sin," is not palatable. 
It grates harshly on the human ear. It is so humb- 
ling to the pride of man's heart, and, therefore, he 
tries to persuade himself that it is not true. It has 
becom.e fashionable to deny it. From the pulpit, from 
the press, from the pages of our most popular writers, 
we hear the old=fashioned doctrine denounced as un- 



ALL ARE SINNERS. 15 

worthy of this enlightened age. Thus the heresy has 
spread, and is spreading. On every hand we meet 
men Avho stand high in their churches, spurning the 
idea that their children are sinners, and need to be 
saved. Their creed is, "I believe in the purity and 
innocence of childhood, and in its fitness for the king- 
dom of heaven without any change or application of 
divine grace." Ah! yes, we would all like to have 
this creed true. But is it true? If not, our believing 
it will not make it true. 

Then let us go "^o the law and the testimony ;^^ to 
the source and fountain of all truth, the inspired 
Word of God. Listen to its sad but plain statements. 
Job. XV. 14: ^^What is man that he should he clean? 
and he ivhich is horn of a ivoman that he should he 
righteous ?^^ Ps. li. 5: ^^ Behold I tvas shapen in in- 
iquity^ and in sin did my mother conceive meT John 
iii. 6 : " That which is horn of the flesh is fleshy Eplie- 
sians ii. 3: ^^ Among whom also we all . . . iverc by 
nature " — i. e. by birth — " the children of ivrath^ even as 
others^ These are a few of the many clear, plain 
statements of the divine Word. Nowhere does it teach 
that children are born pure and righteous and fit for 
heaven. The Lutheran church, then, teaches and con- 
fesses nothing but the pure truth of God's Word in 
the Augsburg Confession, Article II., where it says; 



16 THE AYAY OF SALVATION. 

"Also they teacb., that after Adam's fall all men, be- 
gotten after the common course of nature, are born 
with sin," etc. Also Smalcald Articles, Part III., 
Article 1 : "Here we must confess, that sin originated 
from one man Adam, by whose disobedience all were 
made sinners and subject to death and the devil. This 
is called original or capital sin . . . This hereditary 
sin is so deep a corruption of nature that no reason can 
understand it, but it must be believed from the reve- 
lation of Scripture," etc. So also the Formula of Con- 
cord, Chapter L, " Of Original Sin," where see a full 
presentation of our faith and its foundation. Also 
Luther's Explanation of the Second Article of the 
Apostle's Creed where he says: "Who — Christ — has 
redeemed me, a poor, lost and condemned creature, 
secured and delivered me from all sins, from death, 
and from the power of the devil." 

This, then, is the teaching of our Church, as 
founded on the Word of God. That this doctrine is 
true beyond the possibility of a dotibt we can learn 
even from reason. It will not be disputed that what 
is in the child will show itself as it develops. The 
germs that lie hidden there will unfold and bring 
forth their proper and natural fruit. By its fruits we 
can know even the child. And what are these fruits? 
How long will it be before that helpless and seem- 



ALL AEE SINNERS. 17 

ingly innocent babe, that slumbers on its motiier's 
breast, will show symptoms of anger, jealousy, stub- 
bornness and disobedience? Let that child alone, 
and, without a teacher, it will learn to lie, deceive, 
steal, curse, give pain to others, etc. But without a 
teacher it will not learn to pray, confess wrong, and 
"fear, love and trust in God above all things." Are 
these things symptoms and evidences of inward purity, 
or of inbred sin ? 

Again, that child is subject to sickness, suffering 
and death. As soon as it draws its first breath its 
life is a struggle. It must contend against the inroads 
of disease. Its little body is attacked by dire mala- 
dies. It is weakened by suffering, and often racked 
by pain. And how frequently the feeble life suc- 
cumbs, and the lately -born infant dies. 

How can we account for this on the ground of in- 
fant sinlessness? Do we not all believe that suffering 
and death are the result of sin? Is there, can there 
be suffering and death where there is no sin? No; 
" the wages of sin is death. ^^ But wages is never ex- 
acted where the work of sin has not been done. The 
conclusion, then, is irresistible. The child is a sinner. 
It needs salvation. It must be reached by saving 
Grace. It must be counted in. It is one of tiie sub- 



18 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

jects of salvation, and must be brought into the Way 
of Salvation. 

The Church is the Bride of Christ, the institution 
through which Christ brings and applies this Grace to 
the children of men. She must begin with the child. 
She must reach down to the tender infant and carry 
the cleansing, and life-giving Grace of the Redeemer 
even into and sin-sick soul. 

How is this to be done? How does the Lutheran 
Church propose to reach that child? This we shall 
try to answer as we advance. 



CHAPTER II. 

ALL THAT IS BORN OF THE FLESH MUST BE BORN OF THE 
SPIRIT. 

TN the former chapter we have shown from Script- 
ure and from reason that our Church teaches only 
the plain truth, when she confesses that: "After 
Adam's fall, all men, begotten after the common 
course of nature, are born with sin." 

As a sinful being the new-born infant is not in the 
Way of Salvation. By its natural birth, from sinfal 
parents, it is not in the kingdom of God, but in the 
realm and under the dominion of sin, death and the 
devil. If left to itself — to the undisturbed develop- 
ment of its own nature, it must miserably and hope- 
lessly perish. True, there is a relative innocence. 
The Apostle exhorts: ^^ Be ye followers of God^ as 
dear children^ ^^ In malice he ye cldldrenr Our 
blessed Saviour, on several occasions, rebuked the 
vain, ambitious spirit of the disciples by contrasting 
it with the spirit of a little child. He said: " Of such 
is the kingdom of heaven^'' and " Except ye he con- 
verted^ and become as little children^ ye caimot enter 

the kingdom of heaven^ 

(19) 



20 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

These passages are generally quoted by those who 
refase to believe the doctrine of Original Sin, as 
1 hough they taught sinlessness and entire fitness for 
the kingdom. But if we accept this interpretation, 
then the Scriptures contradict themselves ; for we 
have seen that, in many places, they clearly teach the 
opposite. These passages can only mean that children 
are relatively innocent. Compared with the forbid- 
ding, haughty, loveless disciples, little children are 
much better subjects for the kingdom. While the 
roots of sin are there, that yin has not yet done its 
hardening work. 

They do not wilfully resist the good. They are 
much more tender, docile, trustful and loving. . The 
Grace of God has less to overcome in them. They 
are more easily reached, and thus are fit subjects to be 
brought into the hinyclom of God. In this sense only 
can it be said, " Suffer the little children to come unto 
me," that I may touch them, bless them, impart my 
grace to them, and thus make them partakers of my 
kingdom. " Of such is the Mngdoraj^ because I desire 
and purpose to bring them into the kingdom. 

Thus far we can safely go. This much in favor of 
the child, over against the adult, we freely admit. 
But this does not say that the child is innocent and 
pure and holy by nature. The undeveloped, roots and 



THE NEW BIRTH. 21 

germs of sin are still there. Its nature is evil. It 
must be saved from that moral nature. How ? 

Here again we meet those who have a very easy so- 
lution of the difficulty. They say : "Admitting that 
the child has sin, this will in no way endanger its sal- 
vation, because Christ died to take away sin. They 
have no conscious sin. Therefore, the atonement of 
Christ covers their case, and, without anything further, 
they pass into heaven if they die in their infancy." 

This view seems to satisfy a great many well-mean- 
ing people. Without giving the matter any further 
thought, they dismiss it with this easy solution. 
Surely, did they stop to consider and examine this the- 
ory, they would see that it has no foundation. 

Christ's atonement alone, and in itself, never saved 
a soul. It removed the obstacles that were in the way 
of our salvation, opened the way back to our Father's 
house, purchased forgiveness and salvation for us. 
But all this profits the sinner nothing, so long as he is 
not brought into that way ; so long as the salvation is 
not applied to him personally. Neither can we speak 
of salvation being applied to an unrenewed, sinful na- 
ture. We cannot even conceive of forgiveness for an 
unregenerate being. This would, indeed, be to take 
away the guilt of sin, while its power remained. It 
would be to save the sinner in and with his sin. 



22 THE WAY OF SALVATION". 

The position is utterly groundless. It is even con- 
trary to reason. It assumes that a being who has in 
his heart, as a very part of his nature, the roots and 
(jerms of sin, can, with that heart unchanged, enter 
into the kingdom of God. It makes God look upon 
sin with allowance. It does violence to the holiness 
of His nature. It makes heaven the abode of the 
unclean. 

No, no. It will not do. When men try to avoid 
what seem to them difficult and unwelcome doctrines 
of God's word, they run into far greater difficulties 
and contradictions. Thai child is conceived and born 
in sin. It is a child of wrath, dead in trc-^passes a/nd 



^2J 



si /IS. Its nature must be cleansed and renewed. 
Otherwise, if it can be saved as it is, there are unre- 
generate souls in heaven! 

Better abide by what is written, and believe that 
every one, infant or adult, Avho has been born of the 
flesh, must be born of the Spirit. Listen to the 
earnest words of Jesus as he emphasizes them with 
that solemn double affirmation, " Verily, verily, I say 
u7ito you, except a man be born again he cannot see the 
kingdom of God^ He repeats this sweeping declara- 
tion a second time. In the Greek it reads. Except 
any one be born again. The assertion is intended to 
embrace every human being. Lest this should be dis- 



THE NEW BIETH. 28 

puted, Jesus further says, " I'hat which is horn of the 
flesh " — i. e., naturally born — " is fl.esh, and that which 
is horn of the Spirit is spirit^ Wherever there is a 
birth of the flesh, there must be a birth of the Spirit. 
The flesh-born cannot even see the kingdom of God, 
much less enjoy it, still less possess it. There must be 
new life, divine life, spiritual life, breathed into that 
fleshly, carnal nature. Thus will there be a new heart, 
a new spirit, a new creature. Then, and not till then, 
can there be comprehension, apprehension and appreci- 
ation of the things of the kingdom of God. This is 
the teaching of the whole word of God. Gal. vi. 15 : 
" For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth 
anytJiiny^ nor uncircuracision^ hut a neiv creature^^— 
i. e., neither Jewish birth nor Gentile birth, without 
the new birth. 

Here also, then, our Church confesses the pure truth 
of God's word, when in the second Article of the 
Augsburg Confession, as quoted above, she goes on to 
say: "And this disease, or original fault, is truly sin, 
condemning and bringing eternal death upon all that 
are not born again." 

Here,' then, we take our stand. No child can be 
saved unless it be first reached by renewing grace. 
If ever an infant did die, or should die, in that state in 
which it was born, unchanged by divine grace, that 



24 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

infant is lost. There are, there can be, no un regen- 
erate souls in heaven. Where there is no infant re- 
generation, there can be no infant salvation. 

Here also we remark in passing, that this doctrine 
of the absolute necessity of infant regeneration is not 
held by the Lutheran Church alone. Even the Romish 
and Greek Churches teach that it is impossible for 
any human creature, without a change from that con 
dition in which he was born, to enter heaven. All the 
great historic confessions of the Protestant churches 
confess the same truth. Even the Calvinistic Baptists 
confess the necessity of infant regeneration. 

In short, all churches that have paid much atten- 
tion to theology, that have been careful to have con- 
sistent systems of doctrine, agree on this point. How- 
ever much those who call themselves by their names 
may deny it in their preaching and in their conversa- 
tion, their own confessions of faith and their greatest 
and best theologians clearly teach it. 

Yes, there must be infant regeneration. But is it 
possible? Can the Grace of God reach the helpless 
infant? Will He reach down and make it a new crea- 
ture in Christ Jesus? Has He made provision for this 
end? Yes, thanks be to His abounding Grace, we be- 
lieve He can and will save the child, and has com- 
mitted to His spouse, the Church, a means of Grace for 



THE NEW BIRTH. 2o 

this purpose. He, of whom it was prophesied long 
before He came, that He would '•^gather the lambs in 
His arms and carry them in His bosom ;^^ who made 
it the first duty of the reinstated apostle to feed His 
lajnbs, must have a special care for them. It is not 
His or His Father's will ^^that one of them should per- 
ish ^ He has made provision for these sin-stricken 
ones, whereby His Grace can reach down to renew 
and heal them. There is Balm in Gilead. The Great 
Physician is there. The Church need only apply His 
divine, life-giving remedy. Of this we will speak in 
the next chapter. 



CHAPTBE III. 

THE PRESENT, A DISPENSATION OF MEANS. 
TTTE have seen that the carnal, sinful nature of the 
child unfits it for the kingdom of heaven ; that, 
therefore, there must be a change in that nature, even 
the birth of a new life, and the life of a new creature, 
before there can be either part or lot in the kingdom 
of God. We have also expressed our firm conviction 
that it is the good and gracious will of God in Christ 
to bestow upon the poor sin-sick and unholy child the 
Grace needed to so change it as to make it a partaker 
of His great salvation. We do not deem it necessary 
to stop to multiply scripture passages and arguments 
to prove this. 

From beginning to end, the divine Word every- 
where represents our God as a most loving, gracious, 
compassionate and tender Being. The tenor of the 
whole record is, that He delights in showing mercy, 
forgiving iniquity, and bestowing the Grace that 
bringeth salvation. He only punishes when justice 
absolutely demands it, and then reluctantly. It is 
not His will that any should perish. 

Beyond controversy, God is loUling to save the 
(36) 



27 

little helpless sufferers from sin, by making them sub- 
jects of His kingdom of Grace here, and thus of His 
kingdom of glory hereafter. 

But can He ? Is He able to reach down to that 
unconscious little child, apply to it the benefits of the 
atonement, impart to it the Grace of the nevv life, sub- 
due the power of sin, and remove entirely its guilt ? 
We are almost ashamed to ask such questions. And 
yet the humiliating fact is, that day by day, in every 
village and on every highway of our land, we can 
hear men and women, professing to be Christians and 
calling themselves members of Christ's church, 
gravely asserting that their Redeemer cannot so bless 
a little child as to change its sinful nature ! If hard 
pressed, these persons, so wise in their own conceits, 
may admit that He can change a child's nature if He 
so wills, but they still feel certain that He cannot do 
so through His own sacrament, instituted for that 
very purpose! Thus would they limit the Holy One 
of Israel, and say to Omnipotence, " Hitherto canst 
Thou come, but no farther." 

With such people, wise above what is written, 
knowing better than Christ, practically, even if not 
intentionally, charging the Son of God with folly, we 
desire no controversy. Let them overthrow the very 
foundations of redemption if they will. Let them 



28 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

argue that all things are not possible with God if they 
dare. We still prefer to believe that the Spirit of 
God can change, renew and regenerate the new-born 
child. In Matt. iii. 9, we read ; ^^ For I say unto you 
that God is able of these stones to raise up children 
unto Ahraham^^'' i. e., as the connection shows, spirit- 
ual children of Abraham, true children of God. 

We may not be able to understand the process by 
which God could change the rough, hard stones of the 
field into true children of God, but we believe it, be- 
cause the Word says so. And believing that, it is not 
hard for ns to believe that He can impart his own 
divine life to the heart of the child, and thus make it 
a new creature in Christ Jesus. 

He could, if it so pleased him, do it without any 
means. By a mere act of His will, God could re-create 
the human soul. He could do so by a word, as He 
created the universe. Without the contact of any 
outward means, without the bringing of His word to 
them in any way, Christ healed the ruler's son and the 
daughter of the Syro-Phenician woman. But if He 
can do this without means, who will say that He can- 
not do the same thing through means? Since, then, 
He can accomplish his own purposes of Grace either 
with or without means, it only remains for us to in- 
quire, in what way has it pleased God to work? Does 



*rH£ PRESENT, A DISPENSATION OE MEANS. 29 

He in the present dispensation work mediately or im- 
mediately f It will scarcely be disputed that the pres- 
ent is a dispensation of means — that even in the do- 
main of nature, and much more in the realm of Grace, 
He ordinarily carries out His purposes through means. 
He chooses His own means. They may sometimes 
seem foolishness to man, especially in the operations 
of His Grace. 

Our Saviour, in working miracles, used some means 
that mnst have struck those interested as very unsuit- 
able. When He healed the man, blind from his 
birth, He mixed spittle and clay, and, with this 
strange ointment, anointed and opened his eyes. 
Well might the blind man have said: "What good 
can a little earth mixed with spittle do?" Yet it 
pleased our Lord to use it as a means, in working that 
stupendous miracle. When Jesus asked for the five 
barley loaves and two small fishes^ to feed the five 
thousand, even an apostle said: ^^ What are these 
among so manyV^ Yes, what are they? In the 
hands of a mere man, nothing — nay, worse than 
nothing ; only enough to taunt the hungry thousands 
and become a cause of strife and riot. But in the 
hands of the Son of God, with His blessing on them, 
taken from His hands, and distributed according to 
His word, they became a feast in the wilderness. 



30 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

A poor woman, a suiferer for twelve years, craves 
healing from oar Lord. With a woman's faith, timid 
though strong, she presses through the crowd close to 
Jesus, and with her trembling bony fingers touches 
the hem of His garment. Jesus perceives that virtue 
is gone out of Him. The woman perceives that 
virtue, healing and life are come into her. There was 
a transfer from Christ's blessed life-giving body, into 
the diseased suftering body of the woman. And what 
was the medium of the transfer? The fringe of His 
garment — a piece of cloth. Yes, if it so pleases the 
mighty God, the everlasting Saviour, He can use a 
piece of cloth as a means to transfer healing and life 
from Himself to a suffering one. 

The same divine Saviour now works through means. 
He has founded a Church, ordained a ministry, and 
instituted the preaching of the Word and the admin- 
istration of his own sacraments. Christ now works in 
and through His Church. Through her ministry, 
preaching the Word, and administering the sacra- 
ments, the Holy Spirit is given. (Augsburg Confes- 
sion, Article 5.) AVhen Christ sent forth His apostles 
to make disciples of all nations. He instructed them 
how they were to do it. The commission correctly 
translated, as we have it in the Revised New Testa- 
ment, reads thus: " Qo ye^ therefore^ and make disciples 



THE PRESENT, A DISPENSATION OF MEANS. 81 

of all the nations^ haptizing thern into the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; teach- 
ing them to observe all things ichatsoever I commanded 
you; and lo, I am ivith you alivay, even unto the end, 
of the tvorkiy Here then is the Saviour's explicit in- 
struction. The Apostles are to mal-e disciples. This 
is the object of their mission. How are they to do it? 
By haptizing them into the name of the triune God, 
and teaching them to observe all Christ's commands. 
This is Christ's own appointed way of applying His 
Grace to sinful men, and bringing them out of a state 
of sin into a state of grace. 

And this is the Way of Salvation in the Lutheran 
Church. 'We begin with the child, who needs grace. 
We begin by baptizing that child into Christ. We, 
therefore, lay much stress on baptism. We teach our 
people that it is sinful, if not perilous, to neglect the 
baptism of their children. The Lutheran Church at- 
taches more importance to this divine ordinance than 
any Protestant denomination. While all around us 
there has been a weakening and yielding on this 
point ; while the spirit of our age and country scorns 
the idea of a child receiving divine Grace through 
baptism; while it has become oft'ensive to the popular 
ear to speak of baptismal Grace, our Church, wher- 
ever she has been and is true to herself, stands to-day 



B2 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

where Martin Luther and his co-workers stood, where 
the confessors of Augsburg stood, and where the fram- 
ers of the Book of Concord stood. 

The world still asks: " What good can a little water 
doV^ We answer, first of all: "Baptism is not 
simply water ^ but it is the water comprehended in 
God's command, and connected with God's Word." 
(Luther's Small Catechism.) The Lutheran Church 
knows of no baptism that is only "a little water." 
We cannot speak of such a baptism. Let it be clearly 
understood that when we speak of baptism, we speak 
of it as defined above, by Luther. We cannot sepa- 
rate the water from the Word. We would not dare 
to baptize with water without the Word. In the 
words of Luther, that would be " simply water, and no 
baptism." Let it be kept constantly in mind that 
whatever benefits and effects we ascribe to baptism, in 
the further forcible words of Luther's Catechism: "It 
is not the water, indeed, that produces these effects, 
but the Word of Ood which accompanies and is con- 
nected tuith the ivater^ and our faith ivhich relies on the 
Word of God connected with the zvaterT If now the 
question is further asked : What good can baptism as 
thus defined do? we will try to answer, or, rather, we 
will let God's Word answer. "What saith the Scrip- 
ture?" 



CHAPTER IV. 

B4PTIS1\5, JJ DIVINELY APPOINTED 1\5EANS OF GRi^CE. 
TTTHEN we inquire into the benefits and blessings 
which the Word of God connects with bap- 
tism, we must be careful to obtain the true sense and 
necessary meaning of its declarations. It is not 
enough to pick out an isolated passage or two, give 
them a sense of our own, and forthwith build on them 
a theory or doctrine. In this way the Holy Script- 
ures have been made to teach and support the gravest 
errors, and most dangerous heresies. In this way, 
many persons ^^ wrest tlie Scriptures to their own de- 
structionP On this important point our Church has 
laid down certain plain, practical, safe and sound prin- 
ciples. By keeping in mind, and following these fund- 
amental directions in the interpretation of the divine 
Word, the plainest searcher of the Scriptures can save 
himself from great confusion, perplexity and doubt. 

One of the first and most important principles, in- 
sisted on by our theologians and the framers of our 
Confessions is, that a passage of Scripture is always to 
be taken in its natural, plain and literal sense, unless 

there is something in the text itself, or in the cou- 
3 (33) 



34 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

text, that clearly indicates that it is intended to con- 
vey a figurative sense. 

Again : A passage is never to be torn from its con- 
nection, but is to be studied in connection with what 
goes before and follows after. 

Again — and this is of the greatest importance — 
Scripture is to be interpreted by Scripture. As 
Quenstedt says: "Passages which need explanation 
can and should be explained by other passages that 
are more clear, and thus the Scripture itself furnishes 
an interpretation of obscure expressions, when a com- 
parison of these is made with those that are more 
clear. So that Scripture is explained by Scripture." 

According to these principles, we ought never to be 
fully certain that any doctrine is scriptural, until we 
have examined all that the divine Word says on the sub- 
ject. In this manner, then, we wish to answer the ques- 
tion with which we started this chapter : What is writ- 
ten as to the benefits and blessings conferred in baptism ? 

We have already referred to the commission given 
to the Apostles in Matt, xxviii. 19. We have seen 
that in that commission our Lord makes baptism one 
of the means through which the Holy Spirit operates 
in making men His disciples. In Mark xvi. 16, he 
says: "iTe that helieveth and is baptized shall he 
savedy In John iii. 5, he says : " Except a man^''— 



BAPTISM, A DIVINE MEANS OF GKACE. 35 

I. e., any one — "Z>e horn of water and of the Spirit^ he 
cannot enter the hingdom of Ood^ In Acts ii. 88, the 
Apostle says : " Repent and he haptized every one of you 
for the remission of your sins!''' Acts xxii. 16 : ^'' Arise 
and he haptized^ and wash away thy sins^ calling on the 
name of the Lord^ Komans vi. 3: ^^ Know ye not 
that so m^any of us as were haptized into Christy were 
haptized into His deaths Gal. iii. 27 : " For as many 
of you as have heen haptized into Christy have put on 
Christ:' Eph. V. 25-26 : " Christ also loved the 
Churchy and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify 
and cleanse it with the washing of water hy the Wordy 
Col. ii. 12: ''''Buried with Him in haptism., ivherein ye 
are also risen with Him through the faith of the opera- 
tion of Qodr Tit. iii. 5: ''''According to His mercy He 
saved us hy fhe washing of regeneration, and renewing 
of the Holy Ghosts 1 Pet. iii. 21: ''The like figure 
whereunto even haptism doth also now save us ; not the 
putting away of the filth of the flesh, hut the answer of 
a good conscience toward Ood, hy the resurrection of 
Jesus Christy 

These are the principal passages which treat of the 
subject of baptism. There are a few other passages 
in which baptism is merely mentioned, but not ex* 
plained. There is not one passage that teaches any- 
thing different from those quoted. 



36 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

All we now ask of the reader, is to examine these 
passages carefully, to compare them one with the other, 
and to ask himself: What do they teach? What is 
the meaning which a plain, unprejudiced reader, who 
has implicit onfidence in the Word and power of God, 
would derive from them? Can he say, "There is no- 
thing in baptism? " "It is of no consequence." "It is 
only a Church ceremony, without any particular bless- 
ing in it." Or do the words clearly teach that it is no- 
thing more than a sign — an outward sign — of an invis- 
ible grace? 

Look again at the expressions of these passages. We 
desire to be clear here, because this is one of the points 
on which the Lutheran Church to-day differs from so 
many others. Jesus mentions water as well as Spirit, 
when speaking of the new birth. " Make disciples, (by) 
baptizing them." " Be baptized /or the remission of your 
sinsP " Be baptized and wash away thy sinP " Bap- 
tized into Qhristr By baptism ^^ put on Christy Christ 
designs to sanctify and cleanse the Church with "the 
washing ofwaterhy the Word." " Washing of regenera- 
tion and renewing of the Holy Ghost." '' Baptism doth 
also now save usT The language is certainly strong and 
plain. Any principle on which baptismal Grace and 
regeneration can be explained out of these passages, will 
overthrow every doctrine of our holy Christian faith. 



BAPTISM, A DIVINE MEANS OF GRACE. 37 

Our Catechism, here also, teaches nothing but the 
pure truth of the Word, when it asserts that baptism 
" worketh forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and 
the devil, and confers everlasting life and salvation on 
all id 10 helieve^ as the Word and promise of God de- 
clare." Our solid and impregnable Augsburg Con- 
fession, also, when in Article II. it confesses that the 
new birth hy ha2)tisni and the Holy Spirit delivers from 
the power and penalty of original sin. Also in Article 
IX., " of baptism they teach that it is necessary to sal- 
vation, and that by baptism the Grace of God is offered, 
and that children are to be baptized, who by baptism 
being offered to God, are received into God's favor." 
And so with all our other confessional writings. 

The question here comes up : Is baptism so absolutely 
essential to salvation, that unbaptized children are lost? 
To this we would briefly reply, that the very men who 
drew up our Confessions deny emphatically that it is 
thus ahsolutely necessary. Luther, Melanchthon, Bu- 
genhagen and others, repudiate the idea that an unbap- 
tized infant is lost. No single acknowledged theolo- 
gian of the Lutheran Church ever taught this repulsive 
doctrine. But why does our Confession say baptism is 
necessary to salvation ? It is necessary in the same 
sense in which it is necessary to use all Christ's ordi- 
nances. The necessity is ordinary^ not ah^nlnte. Or- 



38 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

dinarily Christ bestows his Grace on the child throuyh 
baptism, as the means or channel through which the 
Holy Spirit is conferred. Bat when, through no fault 
of its own, this is not applied, He can reach it in some 
other way. 

As we have seen above, He is not so limited to cer- 
tain means, that His grace cannot operate without 
them. The only thing on which our Church insists 
in the case of a child as absolutely necessary^ is the new 
hirtli. Ordinarily this is effected, by the Holy Spirit, 
through baptism, as the means of Grace. When the 
means, however, cannot be applied, the Spirit of God 
can effect this new birth in some other way. He is 
not bound to means. And from what we have learned 
above of the will of God, toward these little ones, we 
have every reason to believe that He does so reach 
and change every infant that dies unbaptized. The 
position of our Church, as held by all her great theo- 
logians, is tersely and clearly expressed in the words, 
"IN'ot the absence but the contempt of the sacrament con- 
demns." 

While the Lutheran Church, therefore, has confi- 
dence enough in her dear heavenly Father and loving 
Saviour, to believe that her Lord will never let a little 
one perish, but will always regenerate and fit it for His 
blessed Kingdom ere he takes it hence, she yet strenu- 



BAPTISM, A DIVINE MEANS OF GRACE. o9 

ously insists on having the children of all her house- 
holds baptized into Christ. 

Others may come and say : You have no authority 
in the Bible for baptizing infants. Without entering 
fully on this point we will briefly say: It is enough 
for a Lutheran to know that the divine commission is 
to ^''haptize the nations'''' — there never was a nation 
without infants. The children need Grace : baptism 
confers Grace. It is specially adapted to impart spir- 
itual blessings to these little ones. We cannot take 
the preached Word^ but we can take the sacramental 
Word and apply it to them. God established infant 
membership in his Church. He alone has a right to 
revoke it. He has never done so. Therefore it 
stands. If the Old Testament covenant of Grace em- 
braced infants, the New is not narrower, but wider. 

The pious Baptist mother's heart is much more 
scripturally correct than her head. She presses her 
babe to her bosom, and prays earnestly to Jesus to 
bless that babe. Her heart knows and believes that 
that dear child needs the blessing of Jesus, and that 
He can bestow the needed blessing. And yet she will 
deny that he can bless it through his own sacrament 
— ^Hhe luashhiy of tuater hy the Word.^^ 

The devout Lutheran mother presses her baptized 
child to her bosom, looks into its eyes, and thanks her 



40 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

Saviour from tlie depth of her heart, that He has blessed 
her child; that He has breathed into it His divine 
life, washed it, sealed it, and adopted it as His son or 
daughter. How sweet the consolation to know that 
her precious little one is a lamb of Christ's flock, 
''^hearing on its hody the marA's of the Lord Jesus.^^ 

But Christian parents have not fulfilled their whole 
duty in having children baptized into Christ. The 
children are indeed in covenant relationship with Jesus 
Christ. But it is their bounden duty and blessed 
privilege to keep their little ones in that covenant of 
Grace. Of this more in the next chapter. 



CHAPTER Y. 

THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT CAN BE KEPT UNBROKEN. ^IM 
iJND RESPONSIBILITY OF PARENTS. 

1T7E have gone ^^to tlie Laic and to the Testimony^'' to 
" ' find out what the nature and benefits of Baptism 
are. We have gathered out of the Word all of the 
principal passages bearing on this subject. We have 
grouped them together, and studied them side by side. 
We have noticed that their sense is uniform, clear, 
and strong. Unless we are willing to throw aside all 
sound principles of interpretation, we can extract from 
the words of inspiration only one meaning, and that 
is that the baptized child is, by virtue of that divine 
ordinance, a new creature in Christ Jesus. 

Here let us be careful, however, to bear in mind 
and keep before us that we claim for the child only 
the hirtli of a new life. It has been horn of water and 
the Spirit. A birth we know is but a very feeble 
beginning of life. So famt are the flickerings of the 
natural life at birth, that it is often doubtful at first 
whether there is any life. The result of a birth is 
not a full-grown man, but a very weak and helpless 
3* (41) 



42 THE AVAY OF SALVATION. 

babe. The little life needs the most tender, watchful 
and intelligent fostering and care. 

So it is also in the Kingdom of Grace. The divine 
life is there. But it is life in its first beginnings. As 
yet only the seeds and germs of the new life. And this 
young spiritual life also needs gentle fostering and care- 
ful nourishing. Like the natural life of the child, so 
its spiritual life is beset with perils. While the germs 
of the new life are there, we must not forget that the 
Tools of sin are also still there. Our Church does not 
teach with Kome that " sin (original) is destroyed in 
baptism, so that it no longer exists." Hollazius says: 
" The guilt and dominion of sin is taken away by bap- 
tism, but not the root or tinder of sin." Luther also 
writes that "Baptism takes away the guilt of sin, al- 
though the material, called concupiscence, remains." 

Unfortunately for the child these roots of sin will 
grow of their own accord, like the weeds in our gar- 
dens. They need no fostering care. Not so with the 
germs of the new life. They, like the most precious 
plants of the gardens, must be watched, and guarded 
and tended continually. Solomon says : (Proverbs 
xxix. 15) "^ child left to himself hringeth his mother to 
shamed And this may be true even of a baptized 
child. 

The Christian parent, therefore, has not fulfilled 



THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT, 48 

his whole duty to the child by having it baptized. 
It is now the parents' duty ; or rather it should be con- 
sidered the parents' most blessed privilege to htcp that 
child in covenant relationship with the blessed Ee- 
deemer. This also belongs to the teaching of the 
Church of the Eeformation. This point, however, 
many parents seem to forget. Many who are sound on 
the question of Baptismal Grace, are very unsound as 
to a parent's duty to the baptized child. 

Hunnius, a recognized standard theologian of our 
Church, in speaking of the responsibility of those who 
present children for baptism says it is expected of 
them, First^ to answer, in behalf of the child, as to the 
faith in which it is baptized, and in which it is to be 
brought up. Second^ to instruct the child when it 
comes to years of discretion, that it has been truly 
baptized, as Christ has commanded. Tliird^ to pray 
for the child, that God may keep it in that Covenant 
of Grace, bless it in body and spirit, and finally save it 
with all true believers, and Fonrtli^ to use all diligence 
that the child may grow up in that faith, which they 
have confessed in the child's name, and thus be pre- 
served from dangerous error and false doctrine. 

That most delightful Lutheran theologian, Luthardt, 
says : " Infant baptism is a comfort beyond any other, 
but it is also a responsibility beyond any other." 



44 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

Again : " As Christians we know that God has be- 
stowed upon our children not only natural, but spirit- 
ual gifts. ¥or our children have been baptized and 
received by baptism into the Covenant of Grace. To 
preserve them in this Baptismal Grace, to develop in 
them the life of God's spirit, this is one side of Chris- 
tian education. To contend against sin in the child is 
the other." Dr. Schmid, in his Christian Ethics, also 
teaches that it is possible to continue in the uninter- 
rupted enjoyment of Baptismal Grace. Dr. Pontop- 
pidan, in his explanation of Luther's Small Catechism, 
asks the question: " Is it possible to keep one's bap- 
tismal covenant ? " He answers ; " Yes, by the Grace 
of God it is possible." 

The teaching of our Church, therefore, is that the 
baptized child can grow up, a child of Grace from in- 
fancy, and that under God, it rests principally with the 
parents or guardians whether it shall be so. And this 
Lutheran idea, like all others, is grounded on the 
Word of God. 

We note a few examples : Samuel was a child of 
prayer, given to his pious mother in answer to prayer. 
She called him Samuel, /. e., asked of God. Before his 
birth even, she dedicated him to God. As soon as he 
was weaned she carried him to the Tabernacle and 
there publicly consecrated him to the service of the 



THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT. 45 

Most High. From this time forth, according to the 
sacred record, he dwelt in God's Tabernacle and"mm- 
istered unto the Lord'hefore EUr As a mere child God 
used him as a prophet. Of the prophet Jeremiah it is 
said: (Jer. i. 5,) ^^ Before thou earnest forth out of the 
icomh^ I sanctified theeT Of John the Baptist it is 
written : (Lnke i. 15,) "^e shall he filled with the Holy 
Ghost ^ even from his motherh ivomhr To Timothy, 
Paul says: ^^From a child tliou hast hwicn the Holy 
Scriiitures, udtich are able to malxc thee ui'se unto salva- 
tion ^^^ and in speaking of Timothy's faith Paul says, 
that faith ^'' dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois^ and thy 
mother Eunice J^ Psalms Ixxi. 5-6: ^^Tliou art my trust 
from my youth. By thee have I been holden up from 
the ^wm5." 

It is therefore possible for God, not only to give His 
Grace to a child, but to keep that child in His Grace 
all its days. To dispute this is, simply, to dispute the 
record that God gave. 

Lest some one should still say, however, that the 
examples above noted are isolated and exceptional, 
we note further, that the tenor of the whole Word is 
in harmony with this idea. Nowhere in the whole 
Bible is it even intimated that it is God's desire 
or plan, that children must remain outside of the 
Covenant of Grace, and have no part or lot in the 



46 THE WAY OF SALVATION". 

benefits of Christ's redeeming work until they come to 
years of discretion and can choose for themselves. 
This modern idea is utterly foreign and contradictory 
to all we know of God, of His scheme of redemption, 
and of His dealings with His people, either in the old 
or new dispensation. He ordained that infants at 
eight days old should be brought into His covenant. 
He recognized infant children as partakers of the 
blessings of His covenant. ^''Out of the mouth of babes 
and sucklings thou hast j^erfected 'praise ;''^ '•'Suffer them 
to come unto ife." Everywhere it is taken for granted 
that the children who have received either the Old or 
New Testament sacrament of initiation are His. No- 
where are parents exhorted to use their endeavors to 
have such children converted, as though they had 
never been touched by divine Grace. But everywhere 
they are exhorted to keep them in that relation to 
their Lord, into which His own ordinance has brought 
them. Gen. xviii. 19, ^^I hioiu that he will command 
his household after him^ and that they shall keep the 
v:ay of the LordP Psalm Ixxviii. 6, 7, ^^That the 
generation to come might hioiv them^ even the children 
ivhiich should be born^ ivhich should arise and declare 
them, to their children^ that they might set their hope in 
Ood^ and not forget the vjorJcs of God, but keep His com- 
mandments ^ Prov. xxii. 6, ^^ Train up a child in 



THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT. 47 

the way he should go; wlten he is old he will not deijart 
from itr Eph. vi. 4, '■''Bring them up in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lordr 

Let the baptized child then be looked upon as al- 
ready belonging to Christ. Let the parents not worry 
as though it could not be His until it experiences a 
change of heart. That heart has been changed. The 
germs of faith and love are there. If the parent ap- 
preciates this fact, and does his part, there will be de- 
veloped, very early, the truest confidence and trust in 
Christ, and the purest love to God. From the germs 
will grow the beautiful plant of child-trust and child- 
love. The graces of the new life may be thus early 
drawn out, so that the child, in after years, will never 
know of a time when it did not trust and love, and as 
a result of this love, hate sin. This is the ideal of 
God's Word. It is the ideal which every Christian 
parent should strive to realize in the children given 
by God, and given to God in His own ordinance. How 
can it be done ? Of this, more in the next chapter. 



CHAPTER Yi. 

fjOME INFLUENCE i^ND TRAINING IN ITS RELATION TO THE 
KEEPING OF TP BAPTISMAL COVENANT. 

A CCOEDING to the last chapter it is indeed a high 
■^ ^ and holy ideal that every Christian parent should 
set before him in regard to his children. Every child 
that God gives to a Christian parent is to be so treated 
that, from the hour of its baptism, it is to be a son or 
daughter of Cod. It is to be so fostered and nurtured 
and trained that, from its earliest self-conciousness, it is 
to grow day by day in knowledge and in Grace. As 
it increases in stature, so it is to increase in wisdom 
and in favor with God and man. 

In order that this ma^^ be reahzed, it is first of all 
necessary that there be the proper surroundings. We 
cannot expect that parent to draw out these graces of 
the new life in the child, who is not himself imbued 
with a spirit of living faith and fervent love to Christ. 
In the beautiful words of Luthardt : " Eeligion must 
first approach the child in the form of life, and after- 
ward in the form of instruction. Let religion be the 
atmosphere by which the child is surrounded, the air 

which it breathes. The whole spirit of the home, its 

(48) 



HOME INFLUENCE AND TRAINING. 49 

order, its practice — that world in which the child finds 
himself so soon as he knows himself — this it is which 
must make religion appear to him a thing natural and 
self-evident." 

And this is especially important for the mother. 
It is while resting on the mother's bosom and play- 
ing at the mother's knee, that the child is receiving 
impressions that are stones for character building. 
The father, of course, is not released from responsi- 
bility. He too is to set a holy example, to make im- 
pressions for good, and to use all his influence to 
direct the thoughts and inclinations of the child 
upward. The man who does not help in the re- 
ligious training of his own children is not fit to be 
a father. But it is after all with the mother that 
the little child spends most of its time and receives 
most of its impressions. Oh, that every mother 
were a Hannah, an Elizabeth, an Eunice. Then 
would there be more Samuels, Johns and Timothys. 
Let us have more of the spirit of Christ in the heart 
of the mother and father, and in the home. Let the 
child learn, with the first dawnings of self-conscious- 
ness, that Jesus is known and loved and honored 
in the home, and there will be no trouble about the 
future. 

But the child must be instrnctci/. Begin early. 



50 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

Let it learn to pray as soon as it can speak. Let it 
use its first lispings and stammerings in speaking 
words of prayer. We quote again from Luthardt : 
" Let it not be objected that the child cannot under- 
stand the prayer. The way of education is by prac- 
tice to understanding, not by understanding to prac- 
tice. And the child will have a feeling and a pre- 
sentiment of what it cannot understand. The world 
of heavenly things is not an incomprehensible region 
to the child, but the home of its spirit. The child 
will speak to his Father in Heaven without needing 
much instruction as to who that Father is. It seems 
as though God were a well-known friend of his heart. 
The child will love to pray. If mother forgets it the 
child will not." 

Therefore, oh, ye parents! pray for your child. 
Pray with your child. Teach that child to pray. 
The writer knows of a little girl who came home 
from Sunday-school and said : " Mamma, why don't 
you ever pray ?" What a rebuke ! 

The child must be taught the truth of God's Word. 
It also must be sanctified, /. e., made more and more 
holy ^^ through the truthy As a child it needs first the 
^^miUc of the Worcir It is not desirable, neither is it 
necessary, to try to teach the very young child doc- 
trines and abstract truths. Neither ought the child to 



HOME INFLUENCE AND TRAINING. 51 

be required to learn bj rote long passages from the 
Scriptures. In this way some well-meaning, but mis- 
taken, parents make the Word a burden to children, 
and it becomes odious in their eyes. There are other 
and better ways. Begin by showing the child Bible 
pictures, even if it should soil the book a little. Bet- 
ter a thousand times have its lessons of life and love 
graven on the heart of the child, than to have its fine 
engravings as a parlor ornament for strangers. In 
our day there is also an abundant supply of Bible 
pictures and story books for children. Those parents 
who have never tried it will be surprised to see the 
interest the little ones take. With the pictures con- 
nect the stories of the Bible. And where are the 
stories better calculated to interest a child than these 
same old stories, that have edified a hundred gener- 
ations. When will children ever weary of hearing of 
Joseph, and Moses, and David, and Daniel, and 
especially of Him who is the special Friend of children. 
It will be easy to so connect the teachings of the 
Word with these pictures and stories that very young 
children will be able to distinguish right from wrong, 
to know and hate sin, and to be drawn ever nearer to 
the blessed Jesus. 

As they become able to study, to think and to com- 
prehend it, the judicious parent will be glad to avail 



52 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

himself of the help of Luther's Catechism. Here the 
more important teachings of the Word are summar- 
ized and systemized. 

Most parents indeed are glad to shirk this duty, and 
flatter themselves that if they send their children to 
catechetical class, whent hey grow old enough, they 
have performed their whole duty. Such parents do 
not, perhaps, know that Martin Luther wrote his 
Small Catechism especially for family use. Let them 
take their Church Books and turn to the Catechism, 
and they will find that Luther heads the Ten Com- 
mandments with the words: "//< the plain forin ui 
irliicli they are to he tawjht by the head of the family. ^^ 
So also with the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the 
Sacraments. This is Luther's idea. 

It is the true idea. It belongs to the Way of Sal- 
vation in the Lutheran Church. It is the cus- 
tom, still practiced in our older Lutheran churches. 
The pastor, as we shall see hereafter, is only to help 
the parents, and not to do it all for them. In teach- 
ing the Catechism at home, it will give parents an op- 
portunity to speak of and explain what sin is, what 
faith is, what prayer is, and what the sacraments are. 

We would impress also the importance of instructing 
the child concerning its own baptism. Let it under- 
stand not only the fact of its baptism, but the nature, 



HOME INFLUEKCE AND TRAlNIKG. 53 

benefits and obligations of the same. It certainly 
has a most salutary effect to impress the thought on 
the child frequently, that it was given to Christ and 
belongs to Him — that He has received it as His own, 
and adopted it into the family of the redeemed. 

Here also there is a sad neglect on the part of pa- 
rents. Many never say a word to their children about 
their baptism. Many children even grow up and 
know not whether they are baptized or not. This is 
certainly unscriptural and un-Lutheran. ^''Know ye 
not^^^ says Paul, as if he said, have you forgotten it, 
^^that as many of ns as liave been baptized into Christ 
have been baptized into His deatJi^ Doubtless if we 
appreciated our own baptism as we should, it would 
be a constant source of comfort, a never-failing foun- 
tain of Grace to us, and to our children. 

The Apostles frequently speak of the " Chvrch that 
is in the housej'' By this they mean such a house- 
hold as we have tried to portray — a home where the 
religion of our blessed Saviour permeates the whole 
atmosphere ; where the Word of God dwells richly ; 
where there are altars of prayer and closets for 
prayer — a home where Jesus is a daily, a well-known 
Guest ; where the children, baptized into Christ, are 
nourished with the milk of the Word, so that they 
grow thereby, increasing more and more, growing up 



54 THE WAY OF SALVATION". 

unto Him wlio is the Head, even Christ. In such a 
home the Church is in the house, and the household 
in the Church. Blessed home ! Blessed children who 
have such parents ! Blessed parents, who have thus 
learned God's ways of Grace! No anxious, restless 
parents there, hoping and praying that their children 
may be converted. No confused, repelled children 
there, crying because Jesus will not love them till 
they "get religion." On the contrary, parents and 
children, kneeling at one altar, children of one Father, 
with the same trust, the same hope, the same Lord — 
hand in hand they go from the church in the house, 
to the house of God's Church. 

Says Dr. Cuyler, an eminent Presbyterian, " The 
children of Christian parents ought never to need con- 



CHAPTER YII. 

TI^E SUND^^Y SCHOOL IN ITS RELATION TO TI^E BAPTIZED 
CI^ILDREN OF CpiSTIJ^N P^ENTS. 

TT7E haye tried to set forth the Lutheran idea of a 

" ' Christian home. In such a home, called, " a 

Church in the ffouse,''^ all ought to be Christians. 

The children having been given and consecrated to 

Christ in holy baptism, and having had His renewing 

and life-giving Grace imparted to them through 

that Sacrament, are to be kept in that relationship 

with Him. 

The popular idea that they must of necessity, during 

the most impressible and important period of their 

existence, belong to the world, the flesh and the 

devil, is utterly foreign to the Lutheran, or Scriptural 

view. That the child is fated, for a number of years, 

to be under the influence of evil, and to be permitted 

to " sow wild oats " before divine Grace can reach it, 

is certainly a principle that is contradictory to the 

whole scheme of salvation. Yet this seems to be the 

idea of those parents who will not believe that God 

can reach and change the nature of a child and bring 

it out of the state of nature into the state of Grace, 

(55) 



56 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

and keep it in that Grace. These people treat their 
children much as a farmer does his colts, letting them 
run wild for a while and then violently breaking 
them in. 

; This pernicious idea has also obtained sway to an 
alarming extent in the Sunday-school system of our 
land. The children in the Sunday-school, whether 
baptized or not, whether from Christian or Christless 
homes, are looked upon as outsiders, impenitent sin- 
ners, utter strangers to Christ and his Grace, until 
they experience such a marked change that they can 
tell just where and when and how they were con- 
verted. Hence the popular idea that it is the object 
of the Sunday-school to convert the children. This 
seems to be the underlying principle of both the 
otherwise so excellent American Sunday-school 
Union and American Tract Society, that we are 
loth to say aught against either. This idea pervades 
also the undenominational helps and comments of the 
International Lesson System. This is the under- 
tone of the great mass of undenominational Sunday- 
school hymnology. It is the key-note of the County, 
State, National and International Sunday-school Con- 
ventions and Institutes. So popular and wide -spread 
is this idea that many Lutheran pastors, Sunday-school 
teachers and workers have unconsciously imbibed it. 



SUNDAY-SCHOOL AND BAPTIZED CHILDREN. 57 

Even our Church papers, professing to be strictly con- 
fessional, often publish articles setting forth the idea 
that it is the object of the Sunday-school to Christian- 
ize the children. As though the baptized children of 
the Church, the children of devout Christian parents, 
had been heathen, until Christianized by the Sunday- 
school ! Many of our Sunday-school constitutions also 
set it down as the object of the school to " lead the 
children to Christ," or to, " labor for their conversion." 

Now we believe that this idea is unscriptural and 
therefore un-Lutheran. If what we have written in 
the preceding chapters on baptismal Grace, the baptis- 
mal covenant, and the possibility of keeping that cove- 
nant, is true, then this popular idea, set forth above, is 
false. And vice versa^ if this popular view is correct, 
then the whole Lutheran system of baptism, baptis- 
mal Grace, and the baptismal covenant, falls to the 
ground. 

But notwithstanding the immense array of opposi- 
tion, we still believe that the Lutheran doctrine is 
nothing else than the pure teaching of God's word. 
Where we have the " Church in the HouseJ^ there we 
have lambs of Christ's flock. Ah, how many more 
we could have, how many more we would have, if 
the fathers and mothers in the Church understood 

this precious article of our faith, and prayerfully built 
4 



68 THE WAY OF SALVAT^lOiC. 

their home life thereon! Then would there be a 
more regular and healthful growth of the Church, 
and the necessity for fitful, spasmodic revival efforts 
would cease. But we digress. 

From our Christian homes the baptized children of 
the Church come to the Sunday-school. How is the 
school to treat them? We speak now of the bap- 
tized children from Christian homes ; we will speak 
of the unbaptized and untrained further on. 

These children, with all their childish waywardness 
and restlessness, do generally love Jesus. They do trust 
in Him, and are unhappy when they know they have 
committed a sin against Him. They do, when taught 
to pray to Him, believe that He hears their prayers 
and loves them. Shall the teacher now begin to im- 
press upon the minds and hearts of these little ones 
the lesson that they are not yet Christ's, and that 
Christ has nothing to do with them except to seek 
and call them, until they are converted? And 
shall they go home from Sunday-school with the 
impression that all their prayers have been empty 
and useless, because their hearts have not been 
changed? Dare the Sunday-school thus confuse the 
child, raise doubts as to Christ's forgiveness and love, 
and ^'■quench the SpiritV Oh how sad, that thus 
thousands of children have their first love, their first 



SUNDAY-SCHOOL AND BAPTIZED CHILDKEN. 59 

trust, quenched by those who have more zeal than 
knowledge. 

No, no, these are Christ's lambs. They come with 
His marks upon them. Let the Sunday-school teacher 
work in harmony with the mother who gave these 
children to Christ. Let the whole atmosphere of the 
school impress on that child the precious truth that it 
is Jesus' little lamb. Feed that lamb, feed it with 
the sincere milk of the Word. Lead that lamb gently, 
teach it to understand its relation to the Great 
Shepherd, to know Him, to love His voice, 
to follow His leadings more and more closely. 
This we believe to be the object of our Sunday- 
schools, as far as the baptized children of Christian 
parents are concerned. They are to be helps ^ to keep 
the children true to their baptismal covenant, and to 
enable them to grow strong and stronger against sin 
and in holiness. Jesus did not tell Peter to convert^ 
but to feed His lambs. 

From these considerations we see how important it 
is for Lutheran Sunday-schools to have teachers who 
'^know of the doctrine, whether it be true;^^ who are 
^'' rooted and grounded in the fait] I ;^^ who eive ^^ ready 
always to give an answer to every man that asketJi tJiem 
a reason of the hope that is in themf^ who are ^''apt to 
teach.''^ 



60 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

A teacher who does not understand and appreciate 
the Lutheran doctrine of baptism is out of place in 
a Lutheran Sunday-school. It is certainly not desir- 
able to have the child instructed at home that it 
was given to Christ in baptism, received and owned 
by Him and belongs to Him, and then have the Sun- 
day-school teacher teach it that until it experiences 
some remarkable change, which the teacher cannot 
at all explain, it belongs not to Christ, but to the 
unconverted world. The teaching of the pulpit, the 
catechetical class, the home and the Sunday-school, 
ought certainly to be in perfect harmony — especially 
so on the vital point of the personal relation of the 
child to the Saviour and his salvation. To have 
clashing and contradictory instruction is a sure way 
to sow the seeds of doubt and skepticism. 

We must have sound instruction and influence in 
the Sunday-school, and to this end we must have sound 
and clear helps and equipments for teacher and pupil. 
The worship of the school, the singing, the opening 
and closing exercises, must all be in harmony with 
this great fundamental idea of feeding those who are 
already Christ's lambs. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL— ITS RELATION TO THOSE IN COV- 
ENANT RELATIONSl^IP WITH CpiST, AND ALSO TO 
Tp UNBAPTIZED ^ND Wi^NDERING. 

TTTE are still speaking of the dealing of the Sunday- 
school with the baptized children of Christian 
parents. We have seen how important it is that the 
Sunday-school work in harmony with the pastor and 
the parent. We have seen that, to this end, it is espe- 
cially important that the instruction of the teacher be 
in harmony with the doctrine of our Church on bap- 
tismal Grace, and the keeping of the baptismal cove- 
nant. 

Here, however, we meet with a practical difficulty. 
Too many of our teachers are not clear themselves on 
this subject. Their own early instruction may have 
been imperfect. Their whole environment has been 
unfavorable to rooting and grounding them in this 
faith once delivered to the saints. This old-fashioned 
faith, as we have seen, has become unpopular with the 
masses even of professing Christians. The whole cur- 
rent of the religionism of the day is against it. In 

many localities and circles, to profess this faith is to in- 

(61) 



62 THE TTAY OF SALYATIOX. 

vite ridicule and opposition. The Lutheran Church in 
this matter as in others is behind the age, because the 
age is away ahead of Christ and the apostles, the 
Church Fathers and Reformers. 

TThat wonder then that in many places, our mem- 
bers, on whom we must depend for teachers, have un- 
consciously drifted away from the old landmarks, and 
are altogether at sea as to God's means and methods 
of Grace, especially with the children. 

It is. therefore, a matter of the gravest importance 
that our Church place in the hands of her willing, but 
inexperienced, teachers, such plain, practical and full 
helps and equipments as will enable them to be safe 
and successful instructors in our Sunday-schools. Our 
good teachers are always wilUng to learn. They need 
to be and want to be first taught. They need clear, 
sound exposition, illustration and application of every 
lesson for themselves, before they can thus teach others. 
They need to be shown in every le.-son, how the divine 
^ord everywhere sets forth the precious doctrines of 
our Church. They need to be shown over and over 
again, how these doctrines are to be impressed and 
applied to the heart, conscience, and life of the pupil; 
and how the truth is to be so instilled that it may, 
during every lesson, awaken and deepen a sense of 
sinfulness, and repentance therefor, and beget and in- 



SUNDAY-SCHOOL AND UNBAPTIZED CHILDKEN. 63 

increase faith and love for the dear Saviour. Every 
lesson that does not make sin more hateful and Christ 
more precious, is in so far, a failure. 

From what we learned in the last chapter, a Lu- 
theran Sunday-school cannot safely use the literature, 
whether lesson leaves, lesson helps, or hymns, of others. 
And this, simply because their sentiment is not only 
at variance with, but openly hostile to our faith. It 
is therefore even more important for our Church than 
for any other, to furnish all the necessary equipments 
for good, sound, live Sunday-schools. Our equipments 
ought to aim to become more and more superior to all 
others. The Church should strive to constantly im- 
prove them until they become so desirable and at- 
tractive that no Lutheran school would think of ex- 
changing them for any others. 

We hope to see the day when our Church will lead 
in all these practical enterprises, even as she has led 
and still leads in the sphere of sound doctrine. But 
we digress. 

In these two chapters on Sunday-school work, we 
have spoken only of the relation of the school to the 
baptized children of Christian parents. A Sunday- 
school has, however, by no means fulfilled its mission 
by looking only after those who are already lambs of 
the flock. A Sunday-school, like a congregation, to 



64 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

be true to itself and its divine Master, must be a mis- 
sionary institution. In every community there are 
lambs who have never been in the flock of the Good 
Shepherd, or have already wandered astray. There 
are children who have never been either baptized, or 
instructed in heavenly things at home. Or, having 
been baptized, they have been permitted to grow up 
afterwards as wild as heathen children. Yes, even in 
the homes of members of our Church, there are chil- 
dren, whether baptized or not, who are thus growing 
up utterly neglected. If baptized, they don't even 
know it. Much less do they know the significance of 
their baptism. 

It is the mission of the Sunday-school to gather in 
these destitute ones, from the street, and from their 
Christless homes. The Sunday-school must become a 
spiritual home for them. In their case it is truly the 
object of the Sunday-school to lead them to Jesus, to 
labor for their conversion, to Christianize them. This, 
as a matter of course, also applies to those, even from 
Christian homes, who were baptized, and perhaps also, 
to some extent, instructed in divine things, but who 
have gone astray, and thus fallen from their baptismal 
covenant. All such, who are not at present in cove- 
nant relationship with Christ, who are turned away 
from Christ, must be turned bach^ i. e., converted. 



SUNDAY-SCHOOL AND UNBAPTIZED CHILDREN. 65 

Now this difficult work, this great change, can be 
accomplished only through the power of God's "Word. 
" The law of the Lord is perfect^ converting the soul^ 
" The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salva- 
tion!''' The words of Christ, " they are spirit^ and they 
are lifeP If sinners, whether young or old, are to be 
reclaimed for Christ, it must be through tha t Word 
which "25 quick — i. e.^ full of life — and powerful and 
sharjjer than any two-edged swordT 

Let the Sunday-school teacher depend on nothing 
else than this Word of God. It is always accom- 
panied by the Spirit of God. It is the living seed of 
the new life. Let it be used prayerfully. Let it be 
taught carefully. Let it be taught clearly. Let it be 
impressed and applied to heart, and conscience, and 
life. Drive it home personally and individually to the 
impenitent pupil. See him by himself, visit him in 
his home, teach him in his class. Cease not your 
prayers and your eftbrts till the Word so lodge and 
fasten itself in the mind and conscience that it makes 
him realize his own sinfulness and need of a Saviour, 
and also that Saviour's readiness to save. This is God's 
way of salvation. This is the Way of Salvation in the 
Lutheran Church. The Sunday-school teacher who 
follows this way will win souls, the impenitent sinners 

of his class will be brought to repentance toward God, 
4* 



66 . THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ : or in one word, 
they will be converted ; whilst those who are Christ's 
children will grotv in Grace and in the hnoivledge of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 



CHAPTEK IX. 

C^TECI^ISJ^TION. 
TTTE have spoken of the importance and benefits of 
home training and instruction. We endeavored 
to show that Christian parents are under the most sol- 
emn obligation to instruct their children in the truth 
of God's Word. We also endeavored to show, that, in 
order to give their children a clear understanding of 
the saving truths of the Bible, they could do no better 
than to diligently teach them Luther's Small Cate- 
chism ; that this was really Luther's idea and pur- 
pose when he wrote that excellent little religious 
manual ; that the first catechical class ought really 
to be in the family, with father and mother as teachers ; 
— that this home class ought to be carried on so long 
and so persistently, that, in it, the children would be- 
come perfectly familiar with the contents of the book ; 
so familiar, indeed, that they would know all the parts 
that Luther wrote, perfectly, by heart. Luther's Small 
Catechism, ^. e., the parts that Luther wrote himself, 
is really quite a small book. By giving only a little 
time and attention to it each week, the parents could 

easily, in a few years, have all their children know it 

(67) 



68 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

as perfectly as they know their multiplication table. 
And such ought to be the case. 

After these beginnings have thus been made, and 
while the home instruction is still going on, the work 
of the Sunday-school teacher comes in as a help to the 
home class. In every Sunday-school class there ought 
to be, with each lesson, some instruction in the Cate- 
chism. To this end each teacher, in a Lutheran Sun- 
day-school, ought to be familiarly at home in this 
most important text-book. The teacher should en- 
deavor so to teach these lessons, that the pupil would 
learn to love and appreciate the Catechism more and 
more. Thus, the school ought to be a helper to the 
home. And thus, home and school together, working 
in harmony for the same end, would prepare the chil- 
dren for the pastor's catechetical class. 

If this good old-fashioned custom were kept up in 
all our households and schools, then would the pas- 
tor's catechetical class be more of a pleasure and a 
profit to himself and his catechumens. It would then 
be the pastor's part, as it should be, to review the con- 
tents with his class, and thus to find how well the pre- 
paratory work had been done. Then could he devote 
his time and energy to what is really the pastor's part 
of the work, viz., to explain and set forth clearly the 
meaning of the Catechism, and show how it all applies 
to the heart and life of every one. 



CATECHISATION. 69 

It is not at all the pastor's place, and it should never 
be expected of him, to act the school-master, to see to 
and oversee the memorizing of the answers. It is his 
office to expound and apply the truth, to make the 
doctrines clear to the minds of the learners, and to 
show how they are all related to the individual life. 

But, alas, how little is this understood or practiced ! 
How many parents, who call themselves Christians, 
and Lutherans, seem to think that they have nothing 
to do in this whole matter ! They seem to think that 
if they send their children once a week, for a few 
months, to the pastor's class, they have done their 
whole duty. They do not so much as help and en- 
courage the children to learn the lessons that the pas- 
tor assigns. And thus does this part of the pastor's 
work, which ought to be among the most delightful 
of all his duties, become wearisome to the flesh and 
vexatious to the spirit. Scarcely anywhere else in all 
his duties does a pastor feel so helpless and hopeless 
and discouraged as when standing week after week 
before a class of young people who have such poor 
instructors at home. 

Christian parents, if you desire your sons and your 
daughters to become steadfast and useful members of 
the Church of Christ, see to it that you do your part 
in their religious instruction. Insist on it, and even 



70 THE WAY OF SALTATION. 

use your parental authority, if necessary, that your 
children learn the catechism and regularly attend the 
pastor's instructions. 

We believe that the trouble in this matter lies largely 
in the fact that catechisation has become unpopular in 
our fast age. It is looked upon as a mark of old fogy- 
ism, if not as an evidence of the absence of " spiritual 
religion! " The new measures and methods of modern 
revivals are more acceptable to the fickle multitude. 
They seem to point out a shorter route and quicker 
time to heaven. As a boy once said to the writer: "I 
don't want to belong to your church, because I would 
have to study the catechism all winter, and down at 
the other church I can ' get through ' in one night." 
That boy expressed about as clearly and tersely as 
could Avell be done, the popular sentiment of the day. 

Yielding to this popular sentiment, many churches, 
that once adhered strictly and firmly to the catechet- 
ical method, have either dropped it entirely or are 
gradually giving it up. And in order to clothe their 
spiritual cowardliness and laziness in a pious garb, they 
say : " The Bible is enough for us," " We don't need 
any man-made catechisms." " It is all wrong anyhow 
to place a human book on a level with or above the 
Bible." " We and our children want our religion 
from the Spirit of God, and not from a Church cate- 



CATECHISATION. 71 

chism," etc., etc. Do such people know what they are 
talking about, or do they sometimes use these pious 
phrases to quiet a guilty conscience? Do they know 
what a catechism is ? Look at it for moment. What 
is the nature and object of Luther's Small Catechism ? 
Is it in the nature of a substitute for the Bible ? Does it 
purpose to set aside the Bible ? We can scarcely muster 
patience enough to write such questions. No ! No ! 

Any child that can read this little book knows bet- 
ter. The plainest reader cannot fail to see that it is 
intended as a help to understand the Bible. Its pur- 
pose clearly is to awaken and develop in the reader or 
learner a more intelligent appreciation and love for 
the Bible. It contains nothing but Bible truths. Its 
design is simply this : To summarize and systematize 
the most important truths and doctrines of the divine 
Word. To so arrange and group them that even a child 
may learn what the Bible teaches as to creation, sin, 
salvation, and the means whereby it may be attained. 

We have the assurance, also — and we believe, that 
history and observation will bear out the statement — 
that those who appreciate and have studied a sound 
scriptural catechism most thoroughly, appreciate, un- 
derstand, love and live their Bibles most. 

Of the contents, arrangement and intrinsic value of 
Luther's Small Catechism, we will speak in the next 
chapter. 



CHAPTEK X. 

CONTENTS, 4RR4NGE1\JENT ^ND EXCELLENCE OF LUTI^ER'S 
SM^LL Ci^TECI^ISM. 

TTTE have spoken of Luther's Small Catechism as 
a help with which to lay hold of and under- 
stand the most important truths of the Bible. These 
fundamental truths are taken from the Scriptures, and 
are so grouped and arranged and explained that the 
learner can easily grasp and understand them. That 
some of the truths contained in the Bible are of greater 
importance than others, will scarcely be denied. 

It is certainly more important that the child should 
know and understand the Ten Commandments, than 
that it should be familiar with all the details of the 
ceremonial law. Certainly better to be familiar with 
the Apostles' Creed, than to know all about the build- 
ing of the Temple. Better be able to repeat and 
understand the Lord's Prayer, than to have a clear 
knowledge of the elaborate ritual of the Temple ser- 
vice. Better understand the meaning of Christ's two 
Sacraments than to be able to tell all about the great 
feasts of the Jews. 

If any one can know all these other matters, also so 
(73) 



Luther's small catechism. 73 

much the better. The Catechism will certainly be a help, 
instead of a hindrance to this end. Bat if all cannot 
be learned — at least not at once — let the most import- 
ant be taught first. And for this we have a Catechism. 

Look at its contents. It is divided into five parts. 
Each division treats of a separate subject. The first 
contains the Ten Commandments, with a brief yet full 
explanation of each Commandment. The second part 
has the three articles of the Apostles' Creed, with a 
clear and most beautiful explanation of each one. The 
third is the Lord's Prayer, its introduction, the seven 
petitions, and the conclusion, with a terse, though com- 
prehensive, explanation for each sentence. The fourth 
and fifth treat similarly of the two sacraments, Bap- 
tism and the Lord's Supper. 

Here, then, we have in a brief space the most im- 
portant teachings of the whole Bible, systematically 
arranged and clearly explained. Of these contents 
and their arrangement, Luther himself says: 

"This Catechism is truly the Bible of the laity (or 
common people), wherein is contained the entire doc- 
trine necessary to be known by every Christian for 
salvation. Here we have first the Ten Command- 
ments of God, the doctrine of doctrines^ by which the 
will of God is known, what God would have us to do 
and what is wanting in us. 



74 ' THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

"Secondly: The Apostles' Creed, the history of his- 
tories^ or the highest history, wherein are delivered 
to us the wonderful works of God from the beginning, 
how we and all creatures are created by God, how all 
are redeemed by the Son of God, how v*^e are also re- 
ceived and sanctified by the Holy Ghost, and collected 
together t© a people of God, and have the remission 
of sins and everlasting salvation. 

" Thirdly: The Lord's Prayer, the prayer of prayers^ 
the highest prayer which the highest Master taught, 
wherein are included all temporal and spiritual bless- 
ings, and the strongest comforts in all temptations 
and troubles, and in the hour of death. 

" Fourthly : The blessed Sacraments, the ceremonies 
of ceremonies^ which God himself has instituted and 
ordained, and therein assured us of his Grace." 

John Arndt, in a sermon on the Catechism, says ; 
" The Catechism is a brief instruction in the Christian 
religion, and includes in itself the doctrine of the Law 
of God, Christian Faith, the Lord's Prayer, the insti- 
tutions of Holy Baptism and of the Lord's Supper, 
which five parts are an epitome and Icernel of the entire 
Holy Scriptures, for which reason it is called a ' Little 
Bible.' " 

Dr. Seiss, in his Ecclesia Lutherana, says : " It is the 
completest summary of the contents of the Bible ever 



Luther's small catechism. 75 

given in the same number of words. It gave to the 
reviving Church a text-book for the presentation of 
the truth as it is in Jesus to the school, lecture-room 
and pulpit." 

The sainted Dr. Krauth says : " The Catechism 
is a thread through the labyrinth of divine won- 
ders. Persons often get confused, but if they will 
hold on to this Catechism it will lead them through 
without being lost. It is often called the ' Little 
Bible ' and ' the Bible of the laity ' because it presents 
the plain and simple doctrines of the Holy Book in 
its own words. Pearls strung are easily carried, un- 
strung they are easily lost. The Catechism is a string 
of Bible Pearls. The order of arrangement is the 
historical — the Law, Faith, Prayer, Sacrament of Bap- 
tism, and all crowned with the Lord's Supper — just as 
God worked them out and fixed them in history." 

Thus we might go on quoting page after page, of 
words of admiration and praise, from the greatest 
minds in our and other Churches, of the contents and 
arrangement of this little book. Neither can we 
charge these writers with extravagance in their ut- 
terances. For the more we examine and study the 
pages of this little book, the more we are convinced 
that it is unique and most admirable in its matter and 
plan. 



76 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

Let each one look for a moment at himself, and then 
from himself into this little book. 

I come into this world ignorant, yet full of presenti- 
ments and questions. I learn mj first vague lesson 
about myself and God. I naturally ask : For what 
purpose has God put me here ? What does He wish 
me to do? The catechism answers : To do His will, to 
keep His commandments. Here they are, and this is 
what they mean. I study them, and the more I study 
them, the more am I convinced that I never did and 
never can perfectly keep this law. 

I ask again: What shall I do? My catechism tells 
me I must have faith. I must believe. But what 
shall I believe ? Answer : This summary of truth 
called the Apostles' Creed. It tells me of my Cre- 
ator — His work and providence, and His gift of a 
Redeemer. It tells me of that Redeemer and His re- 
demption ; of the gift of the Spirit, and His applica- 
tion of redemption. It not only tells me what to be- 
lieve, but in the very telling it offers me help to be- 
lieve. 

But I am still weak and more or less perplexed. 
Whither shall I go for more strength and Grace? My 
Catechism furnishes the answer: Go to the great 
Triune God. Ask Him in prayer. Here is a model. 
It will teach you how to pray. 



Luther's small catechism. 77 

I learn what it is to pray. But again I ask: How 
do I know that God will hear my prayer? Is He 
interested in me personally? Has He any other 
means besides His written Word to assure me of His 
love and to give me, in answer to my prayers, 
more strength to believe Him and love Him? 

My Catechism points me to my Baptism. It teaches 
me what it means, and how, that in it I have God's 
own pledge that He is my Father, that I am His child. 
Here then is a fountain to which I can return again 
and again when weak and perplexed. 

Further, my Catechism teaches me concerning my 
Saviour's last legacy of love before His death for me. 
His Holy Supper. In it He holds out to me and gives 
to me personally and individually, Himself and all His 
heavenly Grace. 

Thus does this little Catechism meet me in my per- 
plexity, take me by the hand, and lead me through the 
labyrinth of the wonders of Grace. Thus does it tell 
me what I am, what I need, and where and how to 
get what I need. It takes me to the wells of salva- 
tion. It draws from them living water. It holds it 
to my parched lips. It gathers the precious manna 
of the Word, and feeds me when I am faint and 
weary. 

Such is Luther's Small Catechism. Is it any won- 



78 THE TTAY OF SALVATIOX. 

der that we love it ? Is it any wonder that we count 
the study of it a part of the Way of Salvation in the 
Lutheran Church ? 

We have something yet to say on the manner of 
teaching it and the results of faithful teaching aod 
learning'. 



CHAPTER XL 

MANNER AND OBJECT OF TEACHING LUTHER'S C^TECfjISl^J. 
TTTE have spoken of the importance of catechisa- 
tion. We have seen that Luther's Small Cate- 
chism is indeed a priceless Bible manual. It sets be- 
fore us, in matchlesa order, God's plan of salvation. 
It is so full, and yet so brief, so doctrinal and yet so 
warm and hearty. "The only Catechism," says Dr. 
Loehe, ^HJiat can he prayed. ^^ "It may be bought for 
sixpence," says Dr Jonas, "but six thousand worlds 
could not pay for it." 

ISTo wonder that no book outside of the Bible has 
been translated into so many languages, or circulated 
so widely. Thirty -seven years after its publication 
one hundred thousand copies were in circulation. The 
first book translated into any of the Indian dialects; 
it was from its pages that the red man read his first 
lessons concerning the true God, and his own relations 
to that God. At the present day it is taught in ten 
different languages in our own land. 

And yet how sadly neglected and abused even by 

those who bear its author's name! It is neglected, if 

not entirely ignored in countless Lutheran homes and 

(79) 



80 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

Sunday-schools. It is even neglected by many so- 
called Lutheran pastors. They set at naught the tes- 
timony of nearly four centuries. They set their own 
opinions above the testimony of the wisest, as well as 
the most deeply spiritual and consecrated, witnesses of 
their own Church. Tiiey prefer the baseless, shallow, 
short-cut methods of this superficial age. Some of 
them have even joined in the cry of the fanatic, and 
called all catechisation in the Church dead formalism. 
Fortunately, their number is growing rapidly less, and 
many, who were for a while carried away with the 
tide of new measures, are asking for and returning to 
the good, the tried old ways. 

Not only is this Catechism neglected, but it is and 
has been much abused. Abused, not only by its ene- 
mies, who have said hard things against it, but it has 
been and still is abused, like all good things, by its 
professed friends. And doubtless it is the abuse by its 
friends that is largely responsible for the neglect and 
contempt into which it has sometimes fallen. Thus 
in the family, it is still too often taught as a mere task. 
The home teacher often has no higher aim than that the 
children should learn it by rote — learn to rattle it off 
like the multiplication table, or the rules of grammar 

Worse than this, it has often been used as an in- 
strument of punishment. A child has done some- 



TEACHING LUTHER'S CATECHISM. 81 

thing wrong. It is angrily told that for this it must 
learn a page or two of the Catechism ! The task is 
sullenly learned and sullenly recited; and the Cate- 
chism is hated worse than the sin committed. Then, 
too, it is slurred over in the Sunday-schools, without 
an earnest word of explanation or application. The 
learner does not realize that it is meant to change the 
heart and influence the life. 

This same sad mistake is also made by many pas- 
tors in the catechetical class. Strange as it may seem, 
this mistake is most commonly made by those very 
pastors who profess to be the warmest friends of and 
the most zealous insisters on the catechisation of every 
lamb in the flock. Thus we find not a few pastors 
who catechise their classes after the schoolmaster 
fashion. They go through the exercise in a perfunc- 
tory, formal manner. They insist on the letter of the 
text, and are satisfied if their pupils know the lessons 
well by heart I The Catechism becomes a sort of text- 
book. They get out of it a certain amount of head 
knowledge. There are so many answers and so many 
proof-texts that must be committed to memory. And 
when all this is well gotten and recited by rote, the 
teacher is satisfied, the pupil is praised, and he imag- 
ines that he has gotten all the good out of that bookj 
and is glad he is done with it 1 



82 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

Now we would not for a moment depreciate tlie 
memorizing of the Catechism. It is of the most vital 
importance, and cannot be too strongly urged. What 
we object to — and we cannot object too strenuously — is 
the idea that head knowledge is enough ! There must 
be head knowledge. The memory should store up all 
the precious pearls of God's truth that are found in 
the catechism. The mind must grasp these truths and 
understand their meaning and their relation to one 
another. But if it stops here, it is not yet a knowl- 
edge that maketh wise unto salvation. In spiritual 
matters the enlightening or instructing of the intellect 
is not the end aimed at, but only a means to an end. 
The end aimed at must always be the renewal of the 
heart. The heart must be reached through the under- 
standing. To know about Christ is not life eternal. I 
must know about Him before I can know Him. But 
I might know all about Him, be perfectly clear as to 
His person and His work, and stop there without ever 
knowing Him as heart only can know heart, as my 
personal Saviour and loving friend, my Lord and my 
God. 

Here, we fear, many ministers make a sad mistake. 
They are too easily satisfied with a mere outward 
knowledge of the truth. They forget that even if it 
were possible to '•'• understand all mystery and all 



hnowJedge^^ — intellectually — and not have charity, i. e., 
deep, fervent, glowing love to God in Christ, spring- 
ing from a truly penitent and believing heart, it would 
profit nothing. The true aim and end of all catechet- 
ical instruction in the Sunday-school, in the family, 
and especially in the pastor's class, should ever be 
a penitent, believing and loving heart in each cate- 
chumen.. 

As we have, in a former chapter, shown the duty of 
the Sunday-school teacher in this matter. The pastor 
should likewise use all diligence to find out in whom, 
among his catechumens, the germs of the divine life, 
implanted in baptism, have been kept alive, and in 
whom they are dormant. Where the divine life, 
given in holy baptism, has been fostered and cher- 
ished — where there has been an uninterrupted enjoy- 
ment of baptismal Grace, more or less clear and con- 
scious — there it is the pastor's privilege to give clearer 
views of truth and Grace, to lead into a more intelli- 
gent and hearty fellowship with the Eedeemer, to 
deepen penitence and strengthen faith through the 
quickening truth of God's word» 

WherC) on the other hand, the seeds of baptismal 
Grace have been neglected, where the germs of the 
new life lie dormant or asleep, or where there never 
has been any implanting of Grace through a Word 



$-i THE WAY OF SALVATI0:N'-. 

or a Sacrament — in short, where there are no pulsa- 
tions, no manifestations of the new life, there the pas- 
tor has a different duty. He must endeavor to so 
bring the acquired truth to bear on the conscience 
and heart, as to awaken and bring about a sense of 
sin, a genuine sorrow therefor, a hatred thereof, a 
longing for deliverance, a turning to Christ and a lay- 
ing hold on Him as the only help and hope. 

Thus the one great aim and object of the conscien- 
tious pastor, with each impenitent catechumen, is to 
awaken and bring about genuine, heartfelt penitence 
and a true, trusting clinging faith. In one word, he 
must labor for that catechumen's conversion. Only 
those of whom there is evidence that they are in a con- 
verted state should be admitted to confirmation. 

By this we do not mean, as some do, that each one 
must be able to tell when, and where, and how he was 
converted. "We mean simply this : That each one must 
have in his heart true penitence, i. e., sorrow for and 
hatred of sin, and true faith, ^. e., a confiding, trustful 
embracing of Christ as the only Saviour. 

Whether these elements of the new life have been 
constantly and uninterruptedly developed from Bap- 
tism, or whether they have been awakened gradually 
by the Word, is not material • the only important 
question is: Are the elements of the new life now there 



85 

■ — even though as yet feeble and yery imperfect — or, 
is the person now turned away from sin to a Saviour ? 
If so, we consider that person in a converted state. 

And this much, we believe, should be demanded of 
each catechumen before he is admitted to the rite of 
confirmation. And it is largely because this has not 
been demanded as the only true and satisfactory result 
of catechisation, that this important branch of the 
Church's activity has fallen into disrepute. It is 
doubtless because of carelessness on this point that so 
many fall back after confirmation to the world, the 
flesh and the devil. They did not hold fast to their 
crown, because they had no crown. 

"Where the Catechism is properly learned, under- 
stood and applied, the intellect is used as the gateway 
to the heart. Where the result of an enlightened 
mind is a changed heart, there are intelligent believ- 
ers. They know what it means to be a Christian, they 
have an earnest desire for closer fellowship with Him 
who has loved them and washed them from their sins 
in His own blood. There is good hope that such will 
be faithful unto death. 



CHAPTER XII. 

CONFIRMi^TION. 
TX our studies concerning the methods of Grace, or 
^ the application of the- Salvation purchased by 
Christ to the sinful race of Adam's children, we nec- 
essarily had to begin with the new-born child. We 
noted the first known operation of Grace at the bap- 
tismal font. We traced the infant through the holy 
influences received at a Christian mother's knee, and 
in the nurture of a Christian home. We followed up 
through the lessons and influences of the Church's 
nursery, the Sunday-school, and from thence into the 
pastor's catechetical class. We have learned that 
these are the different successive steps in the Way of 
Salvation. This is God's way into the sanctuary. It 
begins at the baptismal font, where the child is re- 
ceived as a member of the Church of Christ ; it leads 
through the Church in the house ; and through it 
keeps up a living connection with the Church in the 
sanctuary. It is making disciples in accordance with 
Christ's plain directions, viz, ^^hajjtizing them, and 
teaching them." 

We have also admitted all along that there maybe 
(86) 



CONFIEMATION. 87 

some who will go through with this whole process 
and yet not be disciples of Christ at the end. They 
wilfully resist the operations of divine Grace and cast 
away their pearl. This class we leave, for the present. 
We will consider them further on. 

We speak now of those who have been made dis- 
ciples; who have not resisted the gracious influences of 
the Spirit of God, working through the sacramental 
and written Word. Their minds are enlightened ; 
they know something of sin and Grace and the be- 
stowal and reception of Grace ; they have an intelli- 
gent understanding of the plan of salvation revealed in 
the Word of God. But this is not all. 

Their hearts also have been drawn ever nearer and 
closer to their dear Saviour ; they believe in and love 
the Lord Jesus Christ ; they are ready to give an answer 
to every man that asks of them a reason of the hope that 
is in them. In the ardor and fervor of their young 
heart's devotion they can repeat these beautiful words 
of their catechism and say : " I believe that Jesus 
Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eter- 
nity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is 
my Lord ; who has redeemed me a lost and condemned 
creature, secured and delivered me from all sin, from 

death, and from the power of the devil in 

order that I might he His, live under Him in His 



88 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, 
innocence and blessedness." 

Further, they can joyfully say : " I believe that I 
cannot by my own reason and strength believe in 
Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to Him. But the Holy 
Ghost has called me through the Gospel, enlight- 
ened me by His gifts, sanctified and preserved me in 
the true faith," etc. 

But this happy faith of their hearts has never been 
publicly professed before men. And yet the word 
of God demands not only faith in the heart, but 
also confession by the lips. Eom . x. 9-10 : " If 
thou sJialt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus^ 
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised 
Him from the dead^ thou shalt le saved. For with the 
Itcart man helieveth unto righteousness^ and with the 
mouth confession is made unto salvation^ Jesus also 
says, Matt x. 32: " Whosoever^ therefore^ shall confess 
Me hefore men^ him will I confess also hefore my Father 
ivhich is in heaven^ 

And should any one be ashamed of this public pro- 
fession and refuse to make it, Jesus clearly tells such 
an one that of him He also will be ashamed in the 
judgment day. The Bible nowhere recognizes a 
secret discipleship. There are no promises to him 
^ho does not confess. 



CONFIEMATION. 89 

If our catechumen would therefore still follow God's 
Way of Salvation, lie must now, also, take this step, 
and publicly confess Jesus as his Lord and Redeemer 
and himself as His disciple. 

For this, also, our Church has made fitting arrange- 
ment. It is done at, or is rather a part of, the impress- 
ive ceremony of confirmation. Who has not wit- 
nessed this beautiful and touching rite ? And what 
could be more interesting or impressi\re than to see a 
company of young hearts encircling the altar of Christ, 
confessing their faith, and bowing the knee to their 
Saviour amid the prayers and benedictions of the 
Church ? This is confirmation. The catechumen has 
been examined by the pastor as to his fitness for this 
important step. The pastor has found that he pos- 
sesses an intelligent understanding of the doctrines 
taught in the Catechism, and that the experience of his 
heart bears witness to their truth and power. The 
catechumen now comes of his own accord — not because 
he is old enough, or knows enough, or because father, 
mother or pastor wants him to ; —before the altar 
of Christ. There, in the presence of the assembled 
congregation and the all-seeing God, his lips confess 
the faith of his heart, the faith into which he was bap- 
tized as a child ; he now voluntarily takes upon him- 
self the vows and promises that parents or sponsors 



90 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

took for him at baptism ; he receives an earnest ad- 
monition from his pastor to hold fast that which he 
has and be faithful until death. The whole congre- 
gation, together with the. pastor, lift their hearts in 
earnest intercessory prayer to God for His continuous 
blessing and protection on the young confessor ; and, 
the catechumen kneeling at the altar, the pastor directs 
the intercessions of the Church to each kneeling one 
in turn, by laying his hands on him and offering up 
for him a fervent petition in inspired words. 

This is the simple and appropriate ceremony we call 
confirmation. We claim for it no magical powers. 
It is not a sacrament. It adds nothing to the sacra- 
ment of baptism, for that is complete in itself. There 
is no conferring of Grace by the pastor's hands, but 
simply a diiecting of the Church's prayers to the in- 
dividual. 

The confirming, strengthening, establishing of the 
catechumen in Grace, is effected primarily alone 
through Christ's own means of Grace, viz.: the "Word 
and the Sacraments. The Word has been applied 
to mind and heart all aloug from tenderest child- 
hood. It is now brought home in the review and ad- 
monition of the pastor, amid specially solemn sur- 
roundings. The previous administering of baptism, 
and the perpetual efficacy of that Sacrament are now 



CONFIRMATION. 91 

vividly recalled and impressed. And this unusually 
impressive application of the power of Word and Sac- 
rament confirms and strengthens the divine life in the 
catechumen. Thus the means of Grace do the con- 
firming, or rather the Holy Spirit through these 
means. Instrumentally also the pastor may be said 
to confirm, since he, as Christ's ambassador or agent, 
applies His means of Grace. 

In still another, though inferior sense, the catechu- 
men confirms. He receives the offered means of 
Grace, assents to their truth and efficacy, obtains di- 
vine virtue and strength through them, and with this 
imparted strength lays hold on Christ, draws nearer 
to Him, is united to Him as the branch to the vine, 
and thus confirms and establishes the covenant and 
bond that unites him to his Saviour. 

We do not claim for the rite of confirmation a 'Hhus 
saith the Lord y We do not claim that itposseses sac- 
ramental efficacy, or that it is absolutely essential to 
salvation. We do claim, however, that there is noth- 
ing unevangelical or anti-scriptural in this ceremony. 
On the contrary, we believe it is in perfect harmony 
with the whole tenor and spirit of the Gospel. If we 
cannot trace it to apostolic usage, we can find it in all 
its essential features in the pure age of the Church im- 
mediately succeeding the Apostles. . In some form or 
other it has been practiced in the Church ever since. 



92 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

True, it has often been and is still grossly abused. 
It has often been encumbered and entangled with error 
and superstition ; and therefore there have not been 
wanting radical purists who have not only set it aside, 
but cried it down as Eomish and heathenish. The 
more sober and conservative churches have been con^ 
tent to purge it of its error and superstition. In its 
purified form they prize it highly, cherish its use, praC' 
tice it, and find it attended by God's richest blessing, 

It is a significant fact also that some of those who 
were once its most bitter opponents are gradually re- 
turnirg to its practice. We find, for example, that 
certain Presbyterian churches confirm large classes of 
catechumens every year. 

Certain Methodist book concerns and publishing 
houses also publish confirmation certificates, from 
which we infer that some of their churches also must 
practice this rite. Again we find in certain " pastors^ 
record books," gotten up to suit all denominations, 
columns for reporting the number of confirmations. 

All churches must indeed have some kind of a cer- 
emony for the admission of the young among the com- 
municants of the church. And there certainly is no 
more befitting, beautiful and touching ceremony than 
confirmation as described above and practiced in the 
Lutheran Church. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Tp LORD'S SUPPER— PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. 
/^UR catecliumen Las now been confirmed. The 
^ pastor has given him, in the name of the congre- 
gation, the right hand of fellowship, and also publicly 
authorized him to join with the congregation in the 
celebration of the Lord's Supper. For the first time, 
then, the young Christian is to partake of this holy 
sacrament, in order that thereby he may be still 
further strengthened and confirmed in the true faith. 

This sacred institution, also, is a part of God's Way 
of Salvation. It is one of the means of Grace ap- 
pointed and ordained by Christ. It " hath been insti- 
tuted for the special comfort and strengthening of 
those who humbly confess their sins and who hunger 
and thirst after righteousness." 

It is true that multitudes do not regard it as a means 

or channel of Grace. To them it is only a solemn rite or 

ceremony, having no special significance or blessing 

connected with it. It is at most a symbol, a sign or 

representation of something entirely absent and in no 

way connected with it. If there is any blessing at all 

attached to it, it consists in the pious thoughts, the 

(93) 



94 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

holy emotions and sacred memories, wliicTi the comma- 
nicant tries to bring to it and which are in some way 
deepened by it. At best, it is a memorial of an absent 
Saviour, and in some form a representation of His 
sufferings and death. 

Now if this were all that we could see in the Lord's 
Supper, we would not regard it as a part of God's 
Way of Salvation. But our Church sees much more 
in it. With her it is indeed an essential and integral 
part of that Way. And since this is another of the 
few points on which the Lutheran Church difi'ers ma- 
terially from man}^ others, it will be well for us to de- 
vote some space and time to its study. 

Much has been written on this important subject. 
We may not have anything new to add, but it is well 
often to recall and re-study the old truths so easily 
forgotten. Before we consider the nature of this sac- 
rament, we will make a few preliminary observations 
that will help us to guard against false views, and to 
arrive at correct conclusions. 

We observe first, the importance of bearing in mind 
the source from which this institation has come. Who 
is its author? What is the nature or character of its 
origin? Oar views of any institution are generally 
more or less influenced by thus considering its origin. 
Whence then did the Church get this ordinance which 



95 

slie has ever so conscientiously kept and devoutly cele- 
brated ? Did it emanate from the wisdom of man? Did 
some zealous mystic or hermit invent it because he 
supposed it would be pleasant and profitable to have 
such an ordinance in the Church ? Or did some early 
Church Council institute it because those earnest 
fathers in their wisdom deemed it necessary that the 
Church should have such a service? Can it, in short, 
be traced to any human origin? If so, then we can 
deal with it as with any other human institution. 
We are then at liberty to reason and speculate about 
it. We can apply it to the rules of human science and 
learning. We can test it, measure it, sound it by 
philosophy, logic, and the laws of the mind. Each 
one then has a right to his own opinion about it. 
Each one can apply to it the favorite test of common 
sense, and draw his own conclusions. 

But now, we know that this is not a human institu- 
tion. The Church has received it from the hands of 
the Son of God. It was ordained by Him who could 
say, ^^ All power is given unto rue in heaven and in 
earth,^^ and, " /?2 whom dwelt all the fullness of the 
Godhead bodily f^ who even before his birth in human 
form was called ^Uhe Mighty God,^ the everlasting 
Father^ the Prince of Peace P When we come to deal 
with an institution of His, we dare never expect to 



96 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

fathom or test it bj our poor, short-sighted and sin- 
blinded reason, philosophy, science, or common sense. 
^^ For my thoughts are not your thoughts^ neither are 
your icays my icays^ saith the Lord. For as the 
heavens are higher than the earthy so are my icays 
liigher than your icays^ and my thoughts than your 
thoughts^ Whenever, therefore, we come to deal 
with anything that comes from His hands, it is no 
longer of the earth, earthy, and is not subject to 
earthly laws and human rules. His acts, His deeds, 
His words, belong to the realm of faith and not of 
reason. Eeason must ever be taken captive and made 
to bow before the heavenly things connected with 
Him. Or shall we try to reason out His human birth. 
His growth, His nature, His deeds ? Shall we reason 
out the feeding of the multitudes with those few bar- 
ley loaves and fishes? No; they came through His 
hands, and their power we cannot comprehend. We 
cannot comprehend how that afflicted woman could 
receive virtue, health and life, by touching the hem 
of His garment — a mere fabric of cloth — or how the 
clay and spittle from His hands could open the eyes of 
one born blind. 

Whenever, therefore, we come to study this ordi- 
nance, let us ever bear in mind its divine origin. 
It is the Lord's Supper. This precaution will be a 
safeguard against error, and a help to the truth. 



THE lokd's sufpee. 97 

We notice secondly the time of institution. It was 
"m the night in which He was hetrayed^ That awful 
night, when the clouds of divine wrath were gathered 
over Him, and were ready to burst upon Him ; when 
the accumulated guilt of a sinful race was all to be laid 
on Him, borne by Him as though it were His own, and 
its punishment endured as though He had committed 
every sin. Then, when the strokes of justice were 
about to fall, our blessed Saviour, " having loved His 
own, He loved them to the end J^ He gathered His little 
band of chosen ones about Him for the last time be- 
fore His crucifixion; He spoke to them His farewell 
words, uttered His high-priestly prayer, instituted 
and administered to them this holy sacrament. All 
the surroundings conspired to throw round it a halo 
of heavenly mystery. Everything was calculated to 
impress that little band that what He now ordained 
and made binding on the Church, till He would come 
again, was something more than an empty sign or 
ceremony. Thus the time, the circumstances, and all 
the surroundings of the institution of this holy sacra- 
ment, prepare us in advance to believe that there must 
be in it or connected with it some heavenly gift of 
Grace that can be obtained nowhere else. 

We notice thirdly the significant term by which 
Jesus designates this institution. When He admin- 



98 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

istered the cup He said: "This cup is the New Testa- 
ment in my blood." He calls it a testament. A tes- 
testament is a last will. 

Jesus was about to go forth to die. Before he de- 
parted, He made His will. He bequeathes to the 
Church an inheritance. The legacy that He leaves is 
this sacrament. Before we undertake to study the 
words of the institution, we wish to impress this thought. 
Now a will is the last place where one would use am- 
biguous or figurative language. Every maker or 
writer of a will strives to use the clearest, plainest 
words possible. Every precaution is taken that there 
may be no doubtful or difficult expression employed. 
The aim of the maker is to make it so plain that only 
one meaning can be taken from it. 

ISTeither is any one permitted to read into it any 
sense different from the clear, plain, literal meaning of 
the words. Fanciful, metaphorical, or far-fetched in- 
terpretations are never applied to the words of a will. 
Much less is any one permitted to change the words 
by inserting or substituting other words than those 
used by the maker. Christ's words of institution are 
the words of His last Will and Testament. 

We will consider the nature of the Sacrament of 
the Lord's Supper in the next chapter. 



I 



CHAPTER XIY. 

Tp LORD'S SUPPER— CONTINUED. 

N the former chapter we made some preliminary 
observations, intended to be helpful, as guards 
against false conclusions, and as guides to a correct 
understanding of the subject under consideration. It 
is important that we always keep these in mind in 
our study of the doctrine of the Lord's Supper. Let 
us ever keep before us therefore the Author or 
Founder of this institution, the time and circumstances 
of the institution, and its testamentary character. 

We are now ready to inquire further into the na- 
ture and meaning of this holy ordinance. And in 
order to determine this we desire to go directly to the 
law and to the testimony. We want to know, first of 
all: what does the Word of God teach on the subject? 
Before we proceed, however, to note and examine 
the passages of Scripture bearing on the matter, let 
us recall what we said, as to the interpretation of 
Scripture, in one of the chapters on the Sacrament of 
Baptism. We there stated that our Church has cer- 
tain plain and safe principles of interpretation that 

(99) 



100 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

are always to guide the searclier after the truth of 
God's word, viz.: 

1. "A passage of Scripture is always to be taken in 
its plain, natural and literal sense, unless there is some- 
thing in the text itself, or in the context, that clearly 
indicates that it is meant to be figurative." 

2. "A passage is never to be torn from its connec- 
tion, but it is to be studied in connection with what 
goes before and follows after." 

3. "Scripture is to be interpreted by Scripture, 
the dark passages are to be compared with the more 
clear, bearing on the same subject." 

4. "We can never be fully certain that a doctrine is 
Scriptural until we have examined and compared all 
that the Word says on the suhjectT 

On these principles we wish to examine what the 
Word teaches as to the nature of the Sacrament of the 
Lord's Supper. We note first the accounts of the in- 
stitution as given by the three Evangelists, Matthew, 
Mark, and Luke. In Matthew xxvi. 26-28, we read, 
^^ Jesus tooJc bread and blessed it and brake it, and gave 
it to the disciples and said: ' Take, eat, this is my body.'' 
And he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to 
them saying : ' Drink ye all of it. For this is My 
blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many 
for the remission of sins,'' " With this the accounts 



101 

in Mark xiv. 22-24 and in Luke xxii. 19, 20, substan- 
tially agree. There is a slight variation of the words, 
but the substance is the same. We notice only this 
difference : Luke adds the words, " This do in remem- 
brance of MeP On this point let us notice, in passing, 
that St. Luke's was the last written of the three. The 
Gospels of Matthew and Mark had been written and 
were read and used in the churches several years be- 
fore St. Luke's. And yet the two former do not con- 
tain the words, " Do this in remembrance of ife." Kow 
we submit right here, if to remember Christ were all 
that is in this sacrament, or even the chief thing, why 
did those who wrote the first Gospels, and knew that 
there were no others, leave out these words? But we 
go on. Almost thirty years after the time of the in- 
stitution of this sacrament, the great apostle of the 
Gentiles wrote a letter to the Church at Corinth. That 
Church was made up of a mixed multitude— Jews and 
Gentiles, freemen and slaves. Many of them were 
neither clear nor sound on points of Christian doctrine 
and practice. In his fatherly and affectionate letters 
to the members of this Church, Paulj among other 
thingSj gives them instruction concerning this sacra^ 
inent : and^ lest some of them might perhaps suppose 
that he is giving them merely his own wisdom and 
speculation, he takes especial care to disavow this: 



102 THE WAY OF SALVATlO]^. 

'-''For I have received of the Lord that which also I de- 
livered unto you^ that the Lord Jesus the same night in 
which he was betrayed^ tooh hread^'' etc., giving in sub- 
stance tlie same words of institution as given by the 
Evangelists (1 Cor. xi. 23, 24, 25.) 

After thus giving them the words of institution, 
Paul goes on to instruct them about worthy and un- 
worthy communing. In these instructions we cannot 
help but notice how he takes the real presence of 
Christ's body and blood for granted all the way through. 
JSTotice his language. Yerse 27: " Whosoever shall eat 
of this hread and drink of this cup of the Lord unwor- 
thily^ shall he guilty of the hody and blood of the Lord^ 
Yerse 29: ^^ For he that eatetK and drinheth unwor- 
thily^ eatetli and drinheth damnation to himself ^ not dis- 
cerning the Lord's bodyT Going back to chapter ten, 
verse sixteen, we find the Apostle giving the doctrine 
of the Lord's Supper in a few words thus : " The cup 
of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of 
the blood of Christ^ The bread which we breah, is it 
not the communion of the body of Christ? ^^ 

We have now noted all the passages that speak di* 
rectly on this subject. There are other strong passages 
that are often quoted in defence of the doctrine of the 
real presence, and which we doubtless have a right to 
use in corroboration of the above quoted. We refer to 



THE LOED's supper. 103 

Jolin vi. 53-56: " Verily^ verily^ I say unto you^ Ex- 
cept ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man^ and drinh His 
bloody you have no Ufe in you. Whoso eateth my flesh 
and drinheth my hlood hath eternal life. . , . for my 
flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed. 
He that eateth my flesh and drinlxeth my blood divell- 
eth in me^ and I in him^ 

As it is a disputed poiot, however, whether this pas- 
sage refers to the Lord's Supper or not, we are willing 
to waive it here. A¥e are content to take those 
passages quoted above, which every one acknowl- 
edges as referring directly to our subject. These 
we would have the reader carefully examine. Note 
particularly the language, the words employed. In 
the four accounts given of the institution, three by 
the Evangelists and one by Paul, we have the same 
clear, plain words concerning the bread and wine— 
words of the last will and testament of the Son of G od, 
our Saviour— " TAz5 is my body^^ ''''This is my blood 
of the New Testament ;^'' or "^/le New Testament in my 
blood.^^ Note the language of Paul: " Guilty of the 
body and blood of the Lordr " Not discerning the 
Lord^s bodyT The cup is called the communion of the 
bloody and the breadj the communion of the body of 
Christ. The word communion is made up of two 
Latin words, con and unio^ meaning union with, or 



104 THE WAY OF 5ALVATI0X. 

connection with. The marginal reading in our fam- 
ily Bibles, as well as in the revised version, is " parti- 
cipation in." The plain English of the verse then is, 
the bread is a participation in, or a connection v^-ith 
Christ's body, and the wine with His blood. 

TTe are now ready to take all these passages to- 
gether, to compare them one with another, and to 
ask, "What do they teach? What is the Bible doc- 
trine of the Lord's Supper ? Is it transubstantiation? 
Is it consubstantiation ? Is it that the bread and 
wine are mere representations or memorials of the 
absent body and blood of Christ? Or do these pas- 
sages teach ''That the body and blood of Christ are 
truly present under the form of bread and wine and 
are communicated to those that eat in the Lord's Sup- 
per?"' (Augsburg Confession, Art. X.) 



CHAPTEE XV. 

TJ^E LORD'S SUPPER—CONTINUED. 
TTTE have quoted, noted, collected and compared 
the words of Scripture that speak of the sacra- 
ment of the Lord's Supper. We now wish to ask 
and examine the question, What do these passages 
taken together and compared with one another teach ? 
Or, in other words, what is the Bible doctrine of the 
Lord's Supper ? 

Does the Bible teach the doctrine of Transubstan- 
tiation, as held and confessed by the Eoman Catholic 
church ? If our investigation of the teachings of the 
Holy Scriptures convinces us that they teach Tran- 
substantiation, we will be ready to believe and confess 
that doctrine, no matter who else may believe or dis- 
believe it. What we want to know, believe, teach 
and confess, is the Bible doctrine. 

What is Transubstantiation ? The word means a 
change of substance. The doctrine of the Eomish 
Church is that after the consecration by the priest, 
the bread in the sacrament is changed into the mate- 
rial body of Christ, and the wine into His blood — so 

entirely changed in substance and matter, that after 
6 ( 105 ) 



106 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

the consecratioD there is no more bread or wine there; 
what was bread has been converted into the flesh of 
Christ, and what was wine has been converted into 
His blood. Is this the doctrine of God's word? Does 
the Word anywhere tell ns that the bread and wine 
are thus changed? Does it call the bread flesh, either 
before or after the consecration? Let us see. "Jesus 
took breads " I will not drink of the fruit of the 
vinej^ etc. "The JreacZ which we break," etc. "For 
as often as ye eat this hread and drink this cup," etc. 
Such is the language of inspiration. Now we ask, if 
the Holy Spirit desired that plain and unprejudiced 
readers should find the doctrine of Transubstantiation 
in His words, why does He call the earthly elements 
hread and v:ine hefore^ during and after the conse- 
cration ? Why does He not say, " as often as ye eat 
this flesh and drink this blood," etc. Evidently be- 
cause the bread is, and remains, plain, natural bread, 
and so with the wine. There is no change in the 
component elements, in the nature, matter, or sub* 
stance of either. Transubstantiation is not the doc- 
trine of God's word ; neither was it the doctrine 
of the early Church. It is one of the human inven- 
tions and corruptions of the Church of Eome. 

Do then these words of Scripture teach the doctrine 
of Consubstantiation ? There are persons who talk a 



107 

great deal about ConsubstantiatioD, and yet they know 
not what it means. What is it? It is a mingling or 
fusing together of two different elements or substances, 
so that the two combine into a third. A familiar ex- 
ample, often given, is the fusing or melting together 
of copper and zinc until they unite and form brass. 
Applied to the sacrament of the altar, the doctrine of 
Consubstantiation would teach that the flesh and blood 
of Christ are physically or materially mingled and 
combined with the bread and wine; so that what the 
communicant receives is neither plain, real bread, nor 
real flesh, but a gross mixture of the two. 

Again we ask, is this the teaching of the Word ? 
The very same proofs that convince us that the divine 
Word does not teach Transubstantiation, also convince 
us that it does not teach Consubstantiation. The sim- 
ple fact that the earthly elements are called bread and 
\\\Q fruit of lite vine^ before, during and after consecra- 
tion, satisfies us that they remain plain, simple bread 
and wine, without physical change or admixture. 
Consubstantiation is not the teaching of the Word ; 
neither is it, nor has it ever been, the teaching of the 
Lutheran Church. It is often, and has been often, 
called the Lutheran doctrine of the Lord's Supper, 
but it is found in none of her confessions. It was 
never taught by a single recognized theologian of our 



108 THE WAY 01^ SALVATION. 

Church. One and all, they have repudiated it and re- 
pudiate it still. The question, then, is still unan- 
swered : What is the doctrine of the divine Word? 

There are many who have a ready and easy answer 
as to this doctrine. They say it is only a Church cer- 
emony, one of the old solemn rites by which Church 
members are distinguished from outsiders. There is 
indeed no special significance or Grace connected with 
it. There is really nothing in it but bread and wine. 
There is no presence of Christ at all in this sacrament 
in any way different from His general presence. The 
bread represents or signifies, is a sign, or symbol, or 
emblem of Christ's body, and the wine of His blood. 
The communicant receives nothing but bread and 
wine, and while he partakes of these he remembers 
Christ's sufferings and death. Whatever special ben- 
efit is in this sacrament he must first put into it, by 
bringing to it pious thoughts, good feelings, deep emo- 
tions, tender memories, and a faith that swings itself 
aloft and holds communion with Christ far off' in 
heaven. 

This is about the current, popular view of this sub- 
ject as held and taught in nearly all the Protestant 
Churches of to-day, outside of the Lutheran Church. 
As a natural consequence of this superficial view, the 
w^hole matter is treated very lightly. There is little^ 



THE LOKD'S supper. 109 

if any, solemn, searching preparation. In many places 
there is no formal consecration of the elements. The 
table is thrown open to any one who desires to com- 
mune. There are no regulations, no guards, no disci- 
plinary tests, connected with it. Even unbaptized 
persons, and persons who have never made a public 
profession of faith, are often permitted to commune. 
But we digress. 

We return to the question: Is the view just noticed 
in harmony with and based on the Word? Let us see. 
If there is nothing on the altar but bread and wine, 
why does Christ say, "This is My body . . . My hloodV^ 
Why not say, This is bread, this is wine? If Christ 
wanted us to understand that the bread and wine 
merely represent or are emblems of His body and 
blood, why did He not say so ? Did He not know how 
to use language? Did He use dark or misleading 
words in His last Will and Testament? Why does 
Paul, in speaking of worthy and unworthy commun- 
ing, speak of the body of Christ as present, as a matter 
of course ? Was he inspired to misunderstand Christ 
and lead plain readers astray ? If there is nothing 
more in the sacrament than to remember Christ, why 
— as already noticed — did not the writers of the first 
two Gospels put in the words, " Bo tins in remem.- 
hrance of Mef " Or why did not Christ plainly say. 



no THE WAY OF SALVATIOX. 

'' Take, eat this bread, whicli represents My bod\', in 
remembrance of Me? " Clearly, the doctrine in ques- 
tion is not based on the words of Scripture. It 
cannot be supported by Scripture. Neither' do its 
defenders attempt to support it by the passages that 
clearly speak of this sacrament. If they try to 
bring in any Scripture proof, they quote passages that 
have nothing to do with the subject. They draw their 
proofs and supports principally from reason and phil- 
osophy. Surely a doctrine that changes the words of 
the institution, Wrests and twists them out of their 
natural sense, and does violence to all sound rules of 
interpretation ; that must bolster itself up b}^ the very 
same methods of interpretation that are used to dis- 
prove the divinity of Chxist, the resurrection of the 
body, and the eternity of future punishment, is not the 
doctrine of Christ. 

TTe have not found the Bible doctrine in any of 
the views examined. Can we find it? Let us see. 
TTe are satisfied, from our examination of the pas- 
sages that have to do with our subject, that there 
must be earthly elements present in this sacrament. 
Thev are bread and wine. They remain so, without 
physical change or admixture. We also find from 
these passages that there is a real presence of heavenly 
elements. These are the body and blood of Christ, 



THE lord's supper. Ill 

Not indeed that body as it was in its state of humili 
ation, when it was subject to weakness, hunger, thirst, 
pain, death and corruption. But that glorified, spir 
itual, resurrection body, in its state of exaltation 
inseparably joined with the Godhead, and by it ren 
dered everywhere present. And this body and divin 
ity, we remark in passing, were already present 
though veiled, when the God-man walked this earth 
Peter and James and John caught a glimpse of it on 
the Mount of Transfiguration. It was of this body, 
and blood, of which Peter says (1 Peter ii. 19, 26) 
that it is not a corruptible thing^ and of which the 
Apostle says Heb. ix. 12, " By his own hlood he 
entered in once into tlie Holy Place^'' (that is, into 
heaven), and that Jesus spoke of when he said, " Take^ 

eat^ this is my body this is my blood J^ 

Of this body and blood, the Scriptures affirm that 
they are present in the sacrament. The passage which 
sets forth the double presence, that of the earthly and 
heavenly elements, which indeed sums up and states 
the Bible doctrine in a few words, is 1 Cor. x. 16. 
There Paul affirms that the bread is the communion 
of Christ's hody^ not of His Spirit or His influence. 
If the bread is the communion of, participation in, or 
connection with His body, then bread and body must 
be present. It takes two things to make a com- 



112 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

munion. They must both be present. It would be 
absurd to speak of bread as a communion of some- 
thing in no way connected with it. 

As we have already said, the plain sense of the 
words of this passage is, that the bread is a connec- 
tion with, or a participation in Christ's body, and so 
with the wine ; so much so that whoever partakes of 
the one must, in some manner, also become a partaker 
of the other. The bread, therefore, becomes the me- 
dium, the vehicle, the conveyance, that carries to the 
communicant the body of Christ, and the wine like- 
wise His blood. And this, we repeat, without any 
gross material transmutation or mixing together. 
The bread and wine are the earthen vessels that carry 
the Heavenly treasures of Christ's body and blood, 
even as the letters and words of the Scriptures convey 
to the reader or hearer the Holy Spirit. This is the 
clear, plain Bible doctrine of the Lord's Supper. 
There is nothing gross, carnal, Capernaitish or repul- 
sive about it. 

And exactly this is the teaching and doctrine of 
the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Article X., Augs- 
burg Confession, says, " Of the Lord's Supper they 
teach that the true body and blood of Christ are truly 
present, under the form of bread and wine, and are 
there communicated to those that eat in the Lord's 



113 

Supper." And Luther's Catechism says, "The sacra- 
ment of the altar is the true body and blood of Jesus 
Christ, under the bread and wine, given unto us 
Christians to eat and drink, as it was instituted by 
Christ Himself." We therefore find that on this 
point also our dear old Church is built impregnably 
on the foundation of Christ and of His Apostles. And 
though she may here differ from all others, she cannot 
yield one jot or tittle without proving false to her 
Lord and His truth. It is not bigotry. It is not 
prejudice that makes her cling so tenaciously to this 
doctrine. She knows, as the great Keformer knew, 
that the very foundations are at stake; that if she 
gives up on this point, and changes the Scriptures to 
suit human reason, she will soon have to give up other 
doctrines, and by and by the rock on which the 
Church is built will be removed, and the gates of hell 
will prevail. And further, if there is any risk of being 
mistaken — which, she, however, does not admit — she 
would rather run that risk^ hy taking her Master at His 
word^ than by changing His word. In childlike confi- 
dence and trust, she would rather believe too much 
than not enough. She would rather trust her dear 
Master too far than not far enough. And therefore 
here she stands; she cannot do otherwise. May God 

help her! Amen. 
6* 



CHAPTER XVI. 

TI^E PREPi^R^TORY SERVICE; SOMETIMES CALLED ip 
CONFESSIONAL SERVICE. 

TN our examination of the nature and meaning of 
^ the Lord's Supper, we have found that it is indeed 
a most important and holy sacrament. It is in fact 
the most sacred of all the ordinances of the Church 
on earth. There is nothing beyond it — nothing so 
heavenly, on this side. heaven, as this Feast. No- 
where else does the believer approach so near to 
heaven as when he stands or kneels, as a communicant 
at this altar, the Holy of Holies in the Church of 
Christ. 

What a solemn act! To approach this altar, to par- 
ticipate in its heavenly mysteries, to become a par- 
taker of the glorified body and blood of the Son of 
God! Surely no one v/ho understands the import of 
this Sacrament, will dare to approach hastily, thought- 
lessly, or on the impulse of the moment. Surely 
there must be forethought and preparation. Our 
Church has realized this from the very beginning. 
She has had, and still has, a special service for those 

who intend to commune. Her preparatory service 

(114) 



THE PREPARATOEY SERVICE. 115 

precedes lier communion service. And we can safely 
affirm, that no Churcli has so searching and suitable a 
preparatory service as the Lutheran Church. Where 
this service is properly conducted and entered into by 
pastor and people, it is not an unimportant step in the 
Way of Salvation. 

Our Church, in this particular also, is purely scrip- 
tural. Israel of old had seasons of special prepara- 
tion, previous to special manifestations from God. 
There was a season of special preparation before the 
giving of the law; also before the receiving of the 
quails and the manna from heaven. There were days 
of preparation before and in connection with the great 
annual festivals, as well as m connection with other 
great national and religious events. Oar Lord, Him- 
self, observed a most solemn preparatory service with 
His disciples before He instituted the Last Supper. 
He not only spoke very comforting words to them, 
but He also plainly pointed out to them their sins, 
e. ^., their pride, their jealousy, their quarrels, their 
coming defection, the fall of Peter and the treachery 
of Judas. In harmony with all this, Paul directs: 
^^Bid let a man examine himself^ and so let him eat of 
that bread and drink of that cupT 

And it is to aid and assist the communicant in this 
self-examination that we have our preparatory ser- 



il6 THE WAY OF SALVATION-. 

vice. Its great object is to enable the communicant 
to realize his own sinfulness, to deepen in him true 
penitence and longing for forgiveness, and also to aid 
him in appropriating and rejoicing in the full and 
free forgiveness of Christ. To this end we sing our 
penitential hymns, plead for Grace to know ourselves, 
our sinfulness, and the fulness of Christ's Grace, and 
hear such searching appeals from the pastor as often 
pain and agonize the heart. Then follows, on the 
part of the whole congregation, a united, audible, and 
public confession of sin, of sorrow because of it, of 
earnest desire for forgiveness, of faith in Christ as the 
divine Saviour, and of an earnest purpose to hate and 
avoid all sin in the future. After this public confes- 
sion in the presence of the pastor and of one another, 
the same confession is repeated, on bended knees, di- 
rectly to God. This two-fold confession — first in the 
presence of the pastor and of one another, and then 
directly to God — is followed by the words of absolu- 
tion from the pastor. In pronouncing the absolution 
the minister uses the following, or words to the 
same effect: " Almighty God, our heavenly Father, 
having of His great mercy promised the forgiveness 
of sins to all those who with hearty repentance and 
true faith turn unto Him, and having authorized His 
ministers to declare the same^ I prononnce, to all who 



THE PKEPAEATOEY SERVICE. 117 

do truly repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and are sincerely determined to amend their ways 
and lead a godly and pious life, the entire forgiveness 
of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." 

Then follow a few words in which he assures the 
impenitent and hypocritical that their sins are not 
forgiven, but will certainly bring upon them the fear- 
ful wrath of Almighty God, unless they speedily re- 
pent, turn from their sins, and fly to the Lord Jesus 
Christ for refuge and salvation. This is the closing 
part of the preparatory service, which is called con- 
fession and absolution. 

Some time ago we were asked, by a minister of an- 
other denomination, why Lutherans retained and prac- 
ticed Eomish confession, and forgiveness by the min- 
ister. We gave him our formula for confession and 
absolution, and asked him to examine it and point 
out to us wherein it was Eomish or unscriptural. 
After examination he handed it back, saying: "I can- 
not say that it is exactly unscriptural. In fact, I can 
easily see how you can quote Scripture in its defense." 

And so we can. In Matt. xvi. 19, Jesus says to 
Peter: "/ will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom 
of heaven: and ichatsoever thou shall hind on earth 
shalt he hound in heaven; and tvhatsoever thou shall 



118 THE WAY OF SALVATION. • 

loose on earth shall he loosed in heaven^'' In Matt. 
xviii. 18, the Saviour gives the same power in the 
same words to all the disciples as representatives of 
the Christian congregation. In John xx. 21-23, He 
N'ays again to the disciples: "J.s my Father hath sent 
me^ even so send I you^ . . . ivhosesoever''s sins ye re- 
mit^ they are remitted unto them, and whosesoever sins 
ye retain, they are retained^ What do these words 
of Christ mean? They must mean something. They 
must be of some use. Our Lord certainly does confer 
507776 kind of authority or power on His Church, 
which is His Bride. Does He hereby give into her 
hand the keys of His kingdom, and authorize her to 
dispense its treasures?" Does she, through her minis- 
try, employ these keys, bring forth heavenly treas- 
ures, and distribute and withhold them among the 
children of men? To the Church's ministers Christ 
says, Luke x. 16: "ZTe that heareth you, heareth Me: 
and he that despiseth you despiseth me^ One of these 
ministers, who certainly understood his office and its 
prerogatives, speaking in the name of all true minis- 
ters of Christ, says, 2 Cor. v. 20 : " Now then we are 
ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you 
hy us, we pray you in Christ'' s stead, he ye reconciled to 
Gody If we would see how this ambassador exer- 
cised his high authority in an individual case, he tells 



THE PREPABATORY SERVICE. 119 

US in 2 Cor. ii. 10: ^' If I forgave anything^ to toliom I 
forgave it for your sahes forgave I ity in the person of 
Christ:' 

If now we take these passages together, we must 
admit that in their plain literal sense, thej do teach 
that Christ, the Head of the Church, has in some sense 
committed to His Church the power to remit and re- 
tain sins, and that this power is exercised in the 
Church through its ministry.- In what sense then has 
a minister power to remit sin? Certainly not by any 
inherent virtue of his own, nor by any power origi- 
nating in his own person. In this sense only God can 
forgive sin, as all sin is committed against Him. But 
God can delegate that power to another, and permit 
him to use it in His name. . And this is all the power 
any human being can have in this matter. It would 
indeed be blasphemy for any man to claim that he had 
power in himself to forgive sins. If he can have any 
power at all, it must be Christ'' s power. He can only 
use it as a deputy, as an ambassador, or as an agent. 
And this is exactly what the Word teaches. The min- 
ister is Christ's ambassador. He beseeches and speaks 
in Christ's stead, as though God were speaking by him. 
Paul forgave the penitent Corinthian, not in his own 
name or by his own authority, but ^''in the person of 
Christ:' 



120 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

When part of our country was in rebellion, the 
government sent deputies to those who had renounced 
their allegiance, empowered to confer pardon and re- 
instate as citizens all who accepted the government's 
terms of pardon. Thej had no power in themselves, 
but they were authorized to carry the pardoning 
power of the government, and to those who accepted 
it from them, it was as valid as though each one had 
received a special proclamation of pardon from the 
government. Just so does the pastor, as Christ's am- 
bassador, offer and bestow Christ's forgiveness to the 
penitent and believing sinner. He oft'ers this pardon 
only on the terms laid down by Christ The means 
through which he conveys this pardon is God's Word. 
This ^ ordi^ preaching repentance and remission of sins, 
when spoken by the minister, is just as effective as 
when it fell from the lips of Christ or His inspired 
apostles. Whenever he preaches God's Word he does 
nothing else than declare Christ's absolution. It is 
the Word of God, that still remits and retains, that 
hinds and looses. 

The pastor can only declare that A¥ord, but the Word 
itself does effectually work forgiveness to him that 
rightly receives it. Not only can the minister carry 
this Word of God, this key of the kingdom, this power 
of God unto salvation, and apply it, but any disciple of 



THE PREPARATOEY SERVICE. 121 

Christ can do so. Dr. Krauth beautifally says: " The 
whole pastoral work is indeed but an extension of the 
Lutheran idea of confession and absolution." And 
Dr. Walther says: "The whole Gospel is nothing but 
a proclamation of the forgiveness of sins, or a publica- 
tion of the same Word to all men on earth, which 
God Himself confirms in heaven." Dr. Seiss some- 
where says: ''Every time a believer in Christ sits 
down beside a troubled and penitent one, and speaks 
to such an one Christ's precious promises and assur- 
ances of forgiveness, he carries out the Lutheran or 
scriptural idea of absolution." 

And as the minister of another denomination, above 
referred to, acknowledged to the writer, that when he 
found one of his parishioners of whom he was con- 
vinced that she was a true penitent, despondent on ac- 
count of her sins, he unhesitatingly said to her, 
"Your sins are forgiven by Christ." 

We had intended to still say something about the 
public confession of Israel at Mizpeh, 1 Sam. v. 6, and 
of the multitudes who went out to John the Baptist, 
Matt. viii. 6 ; also of the private confession and ab- 
solution of David and Kathan, 2 Sam. xii. 13. But 
each one can examine these cases for himself. Enough 
has been said to assure us that our Church, in this 
matter also, is grounded on the eternal Word of God, 



122 THE WAY OF bALVATlOX. 

and that she did wisely when after repudiating tlie 
blasphemous practices of the Eomish. confessional, 
she yet retained an evangelical confession and absolu- 
lution. 

When we therefore hear the declaration of absolu- 
tion from God's Word, let us believe it, "eve?i as if 
it were a voice sounding from heaven^ 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Tp WORD ^S 4 PANS OF GR^CE. 
TN the last chapter we learned that the Word of 
God is the key of the kingdom wKich Christ has 
given to His Church, and that this Wordj declared 
bj the pastor, does really convey and apply the for- 
giveness of sins to the penitent and believing. Fol- 
lowing out this idea, we wish now to show that God's 
Word is the power and effective means through 
which the Holy Spirit operates on the minds and 
hearts of the children of men. 

The popular idea in regard to the use of the Word, 
seems to be that it is intended merely as a book of in- 
struction and a guide — that its purpose is merely to 
tell us about sin and salvation ; that like a guide-post 
it points out the way of salvation, and shows the ne- 
cessity of repentance, faith, and holiness. That it 
tells about the need of the Holy Spirit to effect a 
change of heart, and that further than this it affords 
no help for fallen man. A poor sinner goes to that 
Word ; he reads it, or hears it preached ; he learns 
indeed that he is a sinner, but he has no deliverance 

from sin ; he learns of Christ's redemption, but its 

(133) 



124 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

benefits are not applied to him ; he sees that he must 
repent and believe, but by his own reason and 
strength he cannot. He learns farther, that he needs 
the Holy Spirit to enable him to repent and believe, 
but, according to the current opinion, that Spirit is 
not in the Word, nor effective through it, but operates 
independently of it. The using of the divine Word 
is at best an occasion that the Spirit may use for inde- 
pendent operation. He might go from his Bible and 
from many a sermon and say: "I know I need relig- 
ion — I need the Spirit of God, and I hope at some 
time the Spirit may come to me and bless me with 
pardon and peace." According to this popular con- 
ception, the Holy Spirit might be compared to a dove 
flying about, and alighting perchance on this one and 
on that one. 

The Lutheran Church does not so understand the 
teaching and claims of the Word concerning itself. 
According to her faith the Word of God is more 
than a book of information. It not only tells about 
sin and salvation, but it delivers from sin and confers 
salvation. It not only points out the way of life, but 
it leads, nay more, we might say, it carries us into and 
along that way. It not only instructs concerning the 
need of the Holy Spirit, but it conveys that Spirit to 
the very mintl and heart. It is indeed a precious 



THE Woill) AS A MEANS Of GEAOE. l2o 

truth, that this Word not only tells me what I must 
do to be saved, but it also enables me to do it. It is 
indeed the principal of the means of Grace. It is the 
vehicle and instrument of the Holy Spirit. Through 
it the Holy Spirit works repentance and faith. 
Through it He regenerates, converts, and sanctifies. 

This is the doctrine of the Lutheran Church con- 
cerning the use and efficacy of the divine Word. Thus, 
Luther's Small Catechism, Apostles' Creed, Art. III. 
explanation: "I believe that I cannot by my own 
reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, 
or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit hath called me 
through the Gospel^ enlightened me by Plis gifts," etc. 
Thus also Augsburg Confession, Art. Y.: "For by the 
Word and Sacraments, as by instruments, the Holy 
Spirit is given ; who worketh faith, where and when 
it pleaseth God, in those that hear the Gosj^elJ^ etc. 

Is this the teaching of the Word itself? Let us see. 
In John vi. 63, Jesus says: ^^The words that I speah 
unto you^ they are spirit and they are lifeT In Romans 
i. 16, Paul says of the Gospel : "//{ is the power of God 
unto salvation to every one that helievethT Heb. iv. 12 : 
" For the word of God is quick (living) and powerful^ 
and sharper than any two-edged sword^ 1 Peter i. 23 : 
" Born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorrupt- 
ible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for- 



126 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

ever J'' James \. 21: ^'' Receive with meelmess the en 
grafted TForc?, which is able to save your souls. ''^ It is 
clear, therefore, that the Word does claim for itself 
virtue, life, power, and effectiveness. 

But does it claim to be the Spirit's means and in- 
strument by and through which He operates? In 2 
Cor. iii. 8, it is called a ^^ministration of the Spirit.''^ 
In Eph. vi. IT, Paul calls it the ^'■sivord of the Spirit.^^ 

We learn the same truth from the fact that the 
same effects are ascribed indiscriminately to the Spirit 
and the Word, showing clearly that where one is, there 
the other is also, and that one acts through the other. 

Thus the divine call is ascribed in one place to the 
Spirit, and in another to the Word. Eev. xxii. 17. 
"TAe Spirit , . . says corned In the parables, Christ's 
ministers, preaching the Word, say: '■^ Come ^ for all 
things are ready J^ 

In like manner, enlightening^ or teaching, is ascribed 
to both. John xiv. 26, Jesus says of the Spirit: '■^ He 
shall teach you all things ;^^ chapter xvi. 13, ^^He shall 
guide you into all truihy Tie is called a ^^ spirit of 
wisdom''^— di ^^ spirit of lights On the other hand, the 
Word is called a " Word of wisdom ^ also, Ps. cxix. 
130: ''The entrance of thy Word giveth light f' 2 Tim. 
iii. 15: ""It is cdjle to malae wise unto salvation ;^'' 2 Pet. 
i. 19: It is "as a light that shineth in a darlx plaice J^ 



THE WORD AS A MEANS OF GRACE. 127 

So, also, regeneration is ascribed to both. John iii. 
5 : " Born of water and of the Spirit ;" verse 6 : " That 
which is horn of the Spirit is spirit f^ verse 8: "aS'o is 
every one that is horn of the Spirit:'^ i Jobn v. 4: ^^ For 
xchatsoever is horn of God (i. e., of God's Spirit) over- 
Cometh the worlds Bat of tbe divine Word it is said, 
1 Pet. i. 23, ^^ Born again . . , hy the Word of Oodf^ 
James i. 18 : " Q/* his own will hegat he us, hy the Word 
of truth.'' 

In like manner, sanctification is ascribed to both. 
John xvii. 17: ^^ Sanctify them through thy truth, thy 
Word is truth f' but 1 Cor. vi. 11, " Ye are sanctified 
, , ,hy the Spirit of our God^ 

And thus we might go on, and show that what is 
ascribed in one place to the Spirit, is ascribed in an- 
other place to the Word — proving conclusively that 
the two always go together. Where one is, there the 
other is also. The Spirit operates through the Word, 
whether it be the written, the preached, the sacra- 
mental, or the Word in conversation or reflection. 
The ordinary operations of the Holy Spirit are through 
the Word. Those who are renewed and sanctified by 
the Holy Spirit are those who have been influenced 
by this regenerating and sanctifying Word. 

This blessed Word of God, quick, powerful, ahle to 
save the soul^ because of the life-giving Spirit con- 



128 THE WAY OF SALVATlOi^. 

nected witli it, is not only to be read, but to be 
preacbed and heard. This is God's own arrangement. 
From tbe days of Enoch, ISToah, the patriarchs and 
prophets, down to Jesus and the apostles, and from 
them to the end of the Gospel dispensation. He has 
had and will have His preachers of righteousness. 

Our Lord preached His own Gospel, the words of 
spirit and life. He commissioned His apostles to 
preach the same Gospel. They ^^went everywhere 
preaching the Word.-'' The Church called and sent 
others, whose life-work it was to ^'•preach the Word, 
to he instant in season and out of season, reproving, re- 
buking, txhortingT And this divine arrangement is 
to continue. Kom. x. 13-15: '''-For whosoever shall 
call on the name of the Lord, shall he saved; how then 
shall they call on Him in whom they have not helievedf 
And how shall they helieve in Him of whom they have 
not heard f And hoic shall they hear without a preacher f 
And how shall they preach eoxept tliey he sentT^ Here 
we have God's order of the application of Grace. 1 Cor. 
i. 21: ''''It pleased God hy the foolishness of preaching 
to save them that helieve f^ Eom. x. 17: ^'' So then faith 
Cometh hy hearing, and hearing hy the Word of God.^'' 
Therefore, according to Rom. x. 6-8, let no one say, 
" Who shall ascend into heaven (i. e., to bring Christ 
down from above), or who shall descend into the deep? 



THE WORD AS A MEANS OF GRACE. 129 

(i. e., to bring Christ up again from the dead) for " tlte 
Word is ni(jh thee . . . that is the Wo ?rl of faith which 
ice preach r 

And 3'et notwithstanding these plain declarations, 
men try all sorts of measures and methods to bring 
Christ near, because they cannot understand that when 
they have the Word, they have the Spirit, and when 
they have the Spirit, they have Christ. In Luke xi. 
27, we read how a woman called down a blessing on 
the mother of our Lord because she was privileged to 
have borne Him. But Jesus answered, " Yea^ rather 
hiessed are they that hear the Word, of God and keep it^ 
In the Acts also we read how again and again the 
Spirit was given through and in connection with the 
Word. The Apostles depended on nothing but Word 
and Sacrament. 

The Lutheran doctrine, then, viz., that the Word of 
God is the great effectual means of Grace ; that it is 
the vehicle and instrument of the Holy Spirit; that, 
through it, the Spirit renews the soul applies forgive- 
ness, and sanctifies us wholly, — is the pure truth of 
Christ. Hence, wherever the Lutheran Church is true 
to her name and faith, she preaches the whole counsel 
of God, and relies on that for ingathering and upbuild- 
ing. A true Lutheran pulpit cannot be a sensational 
pulpit for discoursing worldly wisdom, philosophy , 



130 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

poetry, or politics. It must expound the Word, and 
never gets done preaching repentance towards God 
and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

What a beautiful and harmonious system of God's 
methods of saving men is thus brought into view! 
How helpful to the sinner desiring salvation ! Instead 
of waiting and hoping and dreaming of something 
wonderful to happen to bring him into the kingdom, 
he needs only to go to the divine Word and let that 
Word do its work in his heart. 



CHAPTEK XYIII. 

CONVERSION, ITS NATURE AND NECESSITY. 
/CLOSELY related to the doctrine of the power, or 
efficacy, of the divine AYord — as considered in 
the last chapter — is the doctrine of conversion. It is 
the subject of conversion, therefore, that we now pur- 
pose to examine. It is an important subject. It de- 
serves a prominent place in treating of the Way of 
Salvation. It is also an intensely personal subject. 
Each one who desires to be in the Way of Salvation 
is personally interested in it. The eternal destiny of 
every one who reads these pages is closely connected 
with the question whether he is converted. To be in 
an unconverted state, is to be in a state of great peril. 
The issues of eternity are involved in the final deci- 
sion of the soul, in reference to this great subject. It 
is of the most vital importance, therefore, that each 
one examine and understand it. 

And yet, strange as it may seem, there are few sub- 
jects concerning which those interested are more in 
the dark. Stranger still, often those who preach and 
talk most about it, who are loudest in proclaiming its 

necessity, know least about it. Ask them as to its 

(13n 



132 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

meaniDg, its nature, its elements; and then who needs 
it, and how it is brought about, and what are the evi- 
dences of its existence; and thej give at best very 
confused and unscriptural answers. We therefore 
propose to examine it in the light of the Word of 
God, and may He, the Spirit of truth, enable us to 
know and believe its divine teachings ! 

What, then, is conversion? The original and sim- 
ple meaning of the word convert is to turn — to turn 
about. This is also the meaning of the Latin word 
from which the English comes. The Greek word, 
which in the New Testament is translated "convert" 
or "conversion," also refers to the act of turning. It 
is so translated quite frequently. Thus the same 
Greek word that is in some places translated convert, 
is in other places translated turned^ e. g., as in Mark v. 
30: "Jesus . . . turned him about in the press." 
Acts xvi. 18: "But Paul . . . turned and said." 
Matt. xii. 41: "I will return into my house." Acts 
xxvi. 18: "To turn them from darkness to light." 
and so in many other places. It is plain, then, that 
the meaning of the word is a turning or facing about 
— a returning, or a changing of direction — as if a trav^ 
eler, on finding himself going the wrong way, turns, 
returns, changes his course, comes back, he converts 
himself. 



CONVERSION, ITS NATURE AND NECESSITT. 133 

Applying tliis word now to a moral or religious use, 
it means a turning from sin to righteousness, from 
Satan to God. The transgressor who had been walk- 
ing in the way of disobedience and enmity against God, 
and towards eternal death, is turned abont into the 
way of righteousness towards eternal life. This is a 
change of direction^ but it is also something more. It 
is a change of state — from a state of sin to a state of 
Grace. It is still more. It is a change of nature — 
from a sinner unto a saint. It is finally a change of 
relation — from an outcast and stranger unto a child 
and heir. Thns there is an outward and an inward 
turning, a complete change. 

That this is the scriptural meaning of conversion is 
YQTj clear from Acts xxvi. 18. The Lord is about to 
send Panl to the Gentiles for the purpose of convert- 
ing them. He describes the work of conversion thus: 
" To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to 
light^ and from the power of Satan unto God; that 
they may receive forgiveness of sins^ and inheritance 
among them which are sanctified hy faith that is in 
mer As already remarked, the word here translated 
to " turn " is the same that is elsewhere translated 
to "convert." 

If we now inquire more particularly into the nature, 
or process of this change which is called "conversion," 



134 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

we find in it two constituent elements. The one is 
penitence or contrition, the other is faith. Taken to- 
gether, thej make up conversion. In passing, we may 
briefly notice that sometimes the Scriptures use the 
word "repentance " as embracing both penitence and 
faith, thus making it synonymous with conversion. 

Penitence or contrition, as the first part of conver- 
sion, is sorrow for sin. It is a realizing sense of the na= 
ture and guilt of sin ; of its heinousness and damnable 
character. True penitence is indeed a painful experi- 
ence. A penitent heart is, therefore, called "a broken 
and a contrite hearth It takes from the sinner his 
self-satisfaction and false peace. It makes him rest- 
less, dissatisfied and troubled. Instead of loving and 
delighting in sin, it makes him hate sin and turn from 
it with aversion. It brings the sinner low in the 
dust. He cries out, " I am vile ;^^ " / loathe myself ; " 
" Ood he merciful to me a sinner T 

Tills is the penitence insisted on by the prophets, 
breathed forth in the penitential psalms, preached by 
John the Baptist, by Christ and all His apostles. It 
is not necessary to quote passages in proof of this. 
Every Bible reader knows that the Word is full of 
exhortations to such sorrow and repenting for sin. 
But penitence must not stop with hating and bemoan- 
ing sin, and longing for deliverance, The penitent 



CONVERSION, ITS NATURE AND NECESSITY. 135 

sinner must resolutely turn from sin towards Jesus 
Christ the Saviour. He must believe that He took 
upon Himself the punishment due to his sins, and by 
His death atoned for them ; that He satisfied a violated 
law, and an offended Law-giver ; that thus He has 
become his Substitute and Redeemer, and has taken 
away all his sins. This the penitent must believe. 
Thus must he cast himself upon Christ, and trust in 
Him with a childlike confidence, knowing that there 
is now, therefore, no condemnation. Having this 
faith, he is justified, and ^^ being justified by faith^ he 
has peace with GodJ^ 

True penitence always grows into faith, and true 
faith always presupposes penitence. Where one is, 
there the other is ; and where both are, there is con- 
version. Penitence, then, is not something that goes 
before conversion, and faith something that follows 
after, and conversion an indefinable something sand- 
wiched in between, as some seem to imagine ; but 
penitence and faith are the constituent elements that 
make up conversion. 

In the next place we would inquire. Who need this 
change? We answer, first, all who are not in a state 
of loving obedience to God; that is, all who are not 
turned away from and against sin and Satan, and 
turned towards holiness and God, On the other hand. 



136 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

all who really hate sin, mourn over it, strive against 
it, trust in and cling to Christ as their personal Ee- 
deemer, need no conversion. IN'o matter whether 
they can tell where and when and how they were 
converted or not. All who know by blessed experi- 
ence that they now have in their hearts the elements 
of penitence and faith, are in a state of conversion, and 
if they earnestly ask God, may have the assurance 
that their sins are forgiven and they are accepted in 
the Beloved. 

To this class belong those baptized children of the 
Chuixh who have kept their baptismal covenant. 
Given to Christ in holy baptism, the seeds of the new 
life implanted through that divine ordinance, reared 
and trained by Christian parents or guardians, they 
have belonged to Christ from their childhood. From 
their earliest years they have hated sin, repented of it, 
trusted in Christ, and loved Him. They are 'turned 
from darkness to lujlit aiulfrom tlie ijoicer of Satan to 
GodP They need only that daily dying to sin, and 
dail}^ turning to Christ, which all Christians need on 
account of the sins and infirmities of the flesh which 
still cleave to them. Such were Joseph, and Samuel, 
and Daniel, and Jeremiah, and John the Baptist, and 
Timothy, and others of w^hom we read in the Scrip- 
tures. They were children of the covenant, and there- 



CONVERSION, ITS NATURE AND NECESSITY. 137 

fore cliildren of God. Of this class we have written 
in former chapters. We need not enlarge on them 
here. Thej need no conversion, because they are in 
a converted state. Yet there are well-meaning peo- 
ple, who have more zeal than knowledge, who would 
violently exhort even such to be converted, or they 
cannot be saved ! Thus would they confase them, dis- 
tract them, unsettle their faith in Christ, quench the 
Spirit, and, perhaps, drive them to unbelief and 
despair. 



CHAPTEK XIX. 

CONVERSION— VARIED PpNOI^JENyJ OR EXPERIENCE. 
TTTE have spoken of the meaning of this term, in- 
quired into the nature of the change, and noted 
its essential elements. We have also learned that 
there are some who do not need it, because thej are 
in a converted state, and that all who are not in such 
a state of Grace, do need conversion, regardless of any- 
thing that may or may not have taken place in the 
past. 

"We inquire, now, as to the agencies or means by 
which this change is brought about. For it is a 
change which man can certainly not effect by his 
own efforts. Of this change it can certainly be said 
that it is ^^not hy miyht^ nor hy jooiver^ hut hy my 
Spirit^ saith the LordP To have this change brought 
about in the heart, all need to pray in the words of 
the Psalmist, Ps. 85 ; 4, " Turn us, God of our sal- 
vation;^^ or as Ephraim in Jer. xxxi. 18, " Turn thou 
me and I shall he turned, for thou art the Lord my 
God ;'^ or as Judah in Lamentations, v. 21, " Turn thou 
us unto thee, Lord, and we shall he turnedj^ It is 

God the Holy Ghost who must work this change in the 

(138) 



CONVERSION— PHENOiMEN'A OR EXPERIENCE. 139 

soul. This He'does through His own life-giving "Word. 
It is the office of that Word, as the organ of the Holy 
Spirit, to bring about a knowledge of sin, to awaken 
sorrow and contrition, and to make the sinner hate 
and turn from his sin. That same Word then directs 
the sinner to Him who came to save him from sin. 
It takes him to the cross, it enables him to believe 
that his sins were all atoned for there, and that, there- 
fore, he is not condemned. In other words, the Word 
of God awakens and constantly deepens true penitence. 
It also begets and constantly increases true faith. Or 
in one word, it converts the sinner. Of this wonderful 
power and efficacy in the Word, we have already fully 
written, so that we need not enlarge upon this again. 
To the Word, then, let the unconverted sinner go. 
Let him be careful to put no barrier in the way of its 
influence. Let him permit it to have free course, and 
it will do its own blessed work. 

We desire now to notice and to call special atten- 
tion to the diversified phenomena and experiences in- 
cident to this change. 

There are some, indeed, who will not admit that 
there are any variations. They would measure all by 
the same standard, and that standard often a very 
abnormal one. With some, the only standard is their 
own distorted experience. In their pharasaic self- 



140 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

rigliteousiiess they are ready to assert that every one 
whose experience does not in every respect conform 
to their own is not converted. The writer has fre- 
quently, in his pastoral life, met poor, downcast souls 
who were groping in the dark, bemoaning themselves, 
and living a cheerless life, because they had been taught 
that, as they had not an experience just like somebody 
else, they were not converted, and had neither part nor 
lot in the kingdom of God. He has also met more than 
one who, by just such vagaries and delusions, had been 
almost driven to unbelief smd despair. And what a 
relief it often is to such poor, benighted ones, if they 
are not too far gone, to be led out of their vain im- 
aginings into the blessed light of God's truth. 

We notice, first, that not all conversions are alike 
clearly marked. Some are more strongly marked 
than others. There are greater and less degrees of 
intensity in the change. The degree of intensity, or 
depth of experience, may depend on several things. 
It may depend, to a certain extent, on the tempera- 
ment of the individual. One person is of a phlegmatic 
temperament; his mind is sluggish; his feelings are 
not deep; he rarely becomes excited. Of a cool, cal- 
culating disposition, he does everything deliberately 
and cautiously. He feels the ground before him ere he 
takes a step. When God's Word comes to such an one, 



CONVEESION—PHENOMENA OK EXPEEIENCE. 141 

it does not generally revolutionize liim at once. He 
hears it, carries it home, weighs it, ponders it, and 
wants to hear more. Gradually, slowly, his mind is 
enlightened, his heart is interested, his will is changed. 
In him the Word is likely to 'jrow as a seed, or operate 
like leaven in meal. There is seldom much excitement, 
and little outward manifestation 

Another is of a sanguine temperament; he is impuh 
sive, is easily aroused, and jumps at conclusions. When 
God's Word comes to him, and is not opposed, it is 
more likely to take a strong hold of him. It may so 
alarm him, and take away his peace, that he may at 
once see the depth of his guilt. Again, when Christ, 
His atonement and love for guilty men, are presented, 
he may quickly lay hold of the hope set before him in 
the Gospel, and rest on Christ. God's Word comes to 
him like a hammer that breaks the stony heart. Both 
persons have been led by the same Spirit, through the 
same Word. Both have repented and believed, but 
each in his own way. 

The degree of intensity may also depend on the for- 
mer life of the person. 

One has wandered very far from his Father's house. 
He has wasted his substance in riotous living. He 
has sunken very low in sin and guilt. When God's 
Word comes to such an one, and shows him his 



142 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

wretclied state, when he comes to himself^ his penitenoe 
is likely to be deep and painful, and when he is en- 
abled to believe, his faith will probably be quite joy- 
ful, because he realizes the depths from which he was 
drawn. God's "Word has acted on him like a fire^ 
burning deep down into the conscience, consuming its 
dross. 

Another has never wandered so far away. He has 
all along been more or less under divine influence. 
Baptized in childhood, brought up amid Christian re- 
straints, he has observed the outward obligations of 
religion, though he may not in the past have yielded 
himself unreservedly unto Christ. When such an one 
does give himself to God, his repentance may not be 
so marked, or his faith be so demonstrative, but on 
this account the conversion is none the less real. 
God's Word, at length, opened his hearty as the heart 
of Lydia, the seller of purple, was opened. 

We notice in the next place that there are differ- 
ences in the duration of the process. With some the 
process lasts longer than with others. This fact is 
implied indeed in the variations noted above. On one 
person the Word may make but a slight impression at 
first. It may be only a slight dissatisfaction with self. 
But with more light and knowledge, the feeling of 
penitence is deepened. Longings for something bet- 



CONVERSION — PHENOMENA OR EXPERIENCE. 143 

ter are awakened. Yearnings and ontcryings after 
deliverance arise from tlie heart. There is then only 
a first timid trembhng look to Christ. Gradually, 
slowly, the faith is drawn out, until the heart is en- 
abled to cast itself on the Saviour and rest trustingly 
there. It may be weeks, months, or even years, be- 
fore that penitent comes out into the clear sunlight of 
assurance and peace. In all such cases it is ^'' first the 
blade, then the ear, and then the full corn in the earT 

On the other hand, we freely admit that there are 
sudden conversions. God's word comes as a hammer 
or as afire (Jer. xxiii. 29). It smites and burns until 
the sinner is brought low in the dust. The heart is 
broken and becomes contrite, and ready to lay hold 
of the Crucified One, as soon as He is presented. To 
this class, generally, belong some of those noted above 
as of sanguine temperament, and those who have fallen 
deeply into sin. Goiug to the Word of God for ex- 
amples of the two latter classes, we might mention, 
Zaccheus, Saul of Tarsus, the Philippian jailer, and 
the three thousand on the day of Pentecost, as cases of 
sudden conversion — while we might instance the dis- 
ciples of Christ in general, as cases of slow and gradual 
conversion. 1 Cor. xii. 6, " There are diversities of 
operation, hut it is the same God which worJicth all in 
ally 



144 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

From all this it follows that not every one can tell 
the exact time when, and the place where, he was con- 
verted. True, some can. Zaccheus, and the jailer, 
and Saul, and the three thousand, would doubtless al- 
ways remember and be able to tell about the time and 
place and circumstances of their entrance into the 
kingdom. But could the apostles of Jesus tell ? Do 
we not read how slowly they were enlightened ; how, 
little by little, their errors had to be removed, and the 
tru.th applied ? They did not, in fact, become estab- 
lished in the faith until after the resurrection. 

And so it is with many, probably, indeed, with 
most of the very best Christians in the church to-day. 
They cannot tell when they were converted. 

Neither is it necessary. On the Day of Judgment 
the question will not be asked : "Where and when and 
how were you converted ? " The question will be, 
" Were you in a converted state, turned from dark- 
ness to light, and from the power of Satan to God? " 
No matter whether you belonged to that favored 
class who kept their baptismal covenant unbroken; or 
whether, after you had been a stranger and a foreigner 
for a time, you were slowly, and through much doubt 
and misgiving, brought to penitence and faith; or 
wbether you were suddenly brought into the king- 
dom. 



CONVERSION — PHENOMENA OR EXPERIENCE. 145 

Can each one then tell whether he is at present in 
a converted state or ngt? We answer unhesitatingly, 
Yes, to a certainty. The inquirer need only look into 
his heart and see how his sins affect him. Do his sins 
grieve him? Does he hate them? Does he earnestly 
long and strive to be rid of them ? Does he daily 
turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and strength ? If 
he can answer these questions in the affirmative, he 
has the elements and evidences of conversion and the 
new life. Though faith be weak, it is accepted. If, 
on the other hand, his sins do not trouble him ; if they 
are as trifles to him ; if they do not daily drive him to 
the cross, the elements and evidences of the new life 
are certainly wanting. Such a person is in an uncon- 
verted state. And let not such an one delude himself 
with the false idea that something, which he called a 
change, had taken place at some time in the past. He 
can know whether he is noiv in the faith. 

It is poor theology, it is altogether anti-scriptural, 
for a Christian to go through the world singing plain- 
tively : 

"'Tis a point I long to know ; 

Oft it causes anxious thought, 
Do I love the Lord, or no? 
Am This, or am I not?" 

lie whose faith, reaching up out of a heart that mourns 



146 THE WAY OF SALVATION". 

over and hates sin, lays hold of Christ, even trem- 
blingly, can say, "/ knoiu in whom I have helieved^^'' 
^^and hiow that my Redeemer liveth,^^ 



CHAPTER XX. 

CONVERSION— pi^AN iJGENCY IN. 

WHAT part and responsibility pertain to tlae hu- 
man will in this matter ? 

Before we leave the subject of conversion it is im- 
portant that we consider and understand the above 
question. For on this point also grevious and danger- 
ous views and practices prevail. Human nature tends 
to extremes. On this question, also, there is a ten- 
dency to go too far, either in the one direction or in 
the other. There are those, on the one hand, who vir- 
tually and practically make this change of heart and of 
nature a human work. They practically deny the 
agency of the Holy Spirit, or His means of Grace. On 
the other hand, there are those whose ideas and teach- 
ings would rid man of all responsibility in the matter, 
and make of him a mere, machine, that is irresistibly 
moved and controlled from above. 

Is either of the above views the correct and scrip- 
tural one? If not, what is the Bible doctrine on this 
subject? What has the human will — i. e.. the choos- 
ing and determining faculty of the mind — to do with 

conversion ? What, if any part of the work, is to be 

(U7) 



148 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

ascribed to it ? Is it a factor in the process ? If so, in 
what respect, and to what extent? Where does its 
activity begin or end? In how far is the human will 
responsible for the accomplishment or non-accom- 
plishment of this change ? These questions we shall 
endeavor briefly and plainly to answer. 

We must necessarily return to man as he is before 
his conversion, while still in his natural, sinful, unre- 
newed state. In this state of sin, the will shares, in 
common with all the other parts of his being, the ruin 
and corruption resulting from the fall. The natural 
man has the ^^understanding darlxened f^ "25 alienated 
from the life of Qod^ through the ignorance that is in 
him^ because of the blindness of his heart J^ He " re- 
ceiveth not the things of the Sj)irit of God . . . neither 
can he knou: themT He is "m darlniessT He is also 
" dead in trespasses and sin^ 

Thus is the ichole man in darkness, blindness, ig- 
norance, slavery to Satan, and at enmity with God. 
He is in a state of spiritual death. The will is equally 
aftected by this total depravity. If the natural man 
cannot even see, discern^ or know the things of the 
Spirit, how much less can he will to do them ! 

Before his conversion, man is utterly impotent " to 
will or to do^^ anything towards his renewal. The 
strong words of Luther, as (Quoted in the Form of Con- 



CONVERSION — HUMAN AGENCY IN. 149 

cord, are strictly scriptural: "In spiritual and di- 
vine things wliicli pertain to the salvation of the soul, 
man is like a pillar of salt, like Lot's wife, yea, like a 
log and a stone, like a lifeless statue, which uses neither 
eyes nor mouth, neither senses nor heart." (Matt. iii. 
9.) But that same God who could, out of the very 
stones, raise up spiritual children to Abraham, can also 
change the stony heart of man, and put life into those 
who were dead in trespasses and sins. 

The first movement, however, must always be from 
God to the sinner, and not from the sinner to God. 
God does, indeed, in His great mercy, come first to us. 
This he does through His own means of Grace. 

In holy baptism he meets us even on the thresh- 
old of existence, takes us into His loving arms, 
places His hands in blessing upon our heads, breathes 
into us a new life, and adopts us into his own family. 
If the sinner afterwards fall from this baptismal Grace, 
goes back into the ways of sin, and breaks his side of 
the covenant, God is still faithful, and comes to him 
again by his Holy Spirit through his Word ; strives 
with him and endeavors to turn or convert him 
again from darkness to light^ and from the power of 
Satan unto God. 

We should notice here a distinction between those, 
who have at some time been under divine influence, 



150 THE WAY OF SALTATION. 

as by virtue of the sacramental Word in baptism, or 
the written or preached Word, and those who have 
never been touched by a breath from above. When 
the Spirit of God comes to the former, He finds some- 
thing still to appeal to. There is more or less recep- 
tivity to receive the Grace of God, as there is more or 
less life still in the germ formerly im.pl anted. When 
He comes to the latter class there is nothing to work 
on. The foundations must be laid. A receptivity 
must be brought about, a new life must be inbreathed. 
In other words, in the conversion of the latter the 
Holy Spirit must do what He has already done 
in the former. The one is the conversion of a once 
regenerate but now lapsed one. The other is the re- 
generation and conversion of one heretofore always 
dead in sin. 

But in every case, God comes first to the sinner ; 
whether it be in the sacramental, or the written and 
preached Word. It is always through that Word, as 
we have already shown, that the Spirit of God oper- 
ates on the sinful heart, enkindling penitence and be- 
getting faith in Christ. 

Now, what part does the will perform in this great 
work ? Is it entirely passive, merely wrought upon, 
as the stone by the sculptor? At first, the will is 
doubtless entirely passive. The first movements, the 



CONVERSION — HUMAN AGENCY IN. 15 i 

first desires, the first serious thoughts, are beyond 
question produced by the Spirit, through the Word. 
These are the advance signals, and heralds of Grace. 
They are the preparatory steps, and hence these first 
approaches of divine influence are called by theologi- 
ans Prevenient Grace, that is the divine influence of 
Grace, which precedes or goes before all other move- 
ments in the return of the soul to God. 

This preparatory Grace comes to the sinner un- 
sought, and is in fact unavoidable. It is purely and 
entirely the work of the Holy Spirit tipon the sinner. 
Tbe human will has nothing whatever to do with the 
first beginnings of conversion. Of this our Confes- 
sions testify : "God must first come to us." "Man's 
will hath no power to work the righteousness of God, 
or a spiritual righteousness, without the spirit of God." 
Of this the Prophet speaks when he says, Zech. iv. 6, 
" Not by might, nor by power, but by 'my Spirit, saitli 
the Lordr Also, 1 Cor. xii. 3, ''^No man can say that 
Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost^ 

After prevenient Grace, however, begins to make 
itself felt, then the will begins to take a part. It must 
now assume an attitude, and meet the question: Shall 
I yield to these holy influences or not? One or the 
other of two courses must be pursued. There must 
be a yielding to the heavenly strivings, or a resistance. 



152 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

To resist at this point requires a positive act of 
the will. This act man can put forth by his own 
strength. On the other hand, with the help of that 
Grace, already at work in his heart, he can refuse to 
put forth that act of his will, and thus remain non- 
resistant. 

If man, thus influenced from above, now deliber- 
ately uses his will power, and resists the gracious in- 
fluences of prevenient Grace, he quenches the Holy 
Spirit of God, whereby he is sealed to the day of 
redemption. He has hardened his heart. His last 
state is worse than the first. He remains unconverted, 
and on himself alone is the responsibility. 

If, on the other hand, he, even with the assistance of 
prevenient Grace^ permits it to do its work, the pro- 
cess goes on. His will is being renewed. It experi- 
ences the pulsations of a new life. It realizes the 
possession of new powers. There is an infusion from 
God's will into his will, and now prevenient Grace is 
changed into operating Grace. The Word has/ree 
course. It runs and is glorified. He ^'' works out his 
own salvation with fear and tremhling^^^ while it is all 
the time ^^God that worlteth in him both to luill and to 
do of His good pleasure.^^ 

Such a person is a new creature in Christ Jesus. 
Operative Grace goes out into cooperating Grace; 



CONVERSION — HUMAN AGENCY IN. 153 

He becomes a worker with God, and as he grows in 
Gra-ce and in knowledge, his will becomes more and 
more free as it comes more and more into harmony 
with God's will. 

Again we ask, What has the human will to do with 
this great change? We answer, Two things. 

First, man can will to go to church where the means 
of Grace are, or he can will to remain away. If he 
deliberately wills to absent himself from where their 
influence is exerted, he remains unconverted, and on 
himself is the responsibility. If on the other hand, he 
wills to go where God speaks to man in His ordinary 
way, he does so much towards permitting God to con- 
vert him. 

Secondly, when the means of Grace do carry re- 
newing power, and he is made to realize their efficacy 
^ — though it be at first only in an uneasiness, dissatis- 
faction with self, and an undefined longing after some- 
thing'better — he can, as we have seen, permit the work 
to go on. Thus he may be said, negatively, to help 
towards his conversion. On the other hand, he can 
shake off the good impressions, tear away from the 
holy influences, resist the Spirit, and remain uncon- 
verted. Clearly, on hiriiself is all the responsibility if 
he perishes. God desired to convert him. He ^^ re- 
jected the counsel of God ayainst himself ^ Luke vii. 30» 
8 



154 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

And tlius our Lutheran doctrine of Grace through 
the means of Grace^ clears away all difficulties and 
avoids all contradictions. It gives God all the glory, 
and throws on man all the responsibility. 

Sailing thus under the colors of scriptural doctrine, 
we steer clear of the Scylla of Calvmism on the one 
hand, and also escape the Charybdis of Arminianism 
on the other. 

We give to Sovereign Grace all the glory of our 
salvation just as much as the Calvinists do. And yet 
we make salvation as free as the boldest Armenian 
does. Whatever is excellent in both systems we re- 
tain. Whatever is false in both we reject. We refuse 
to make of man a machine, who is irresistibly brought 
into the kingdom of God, and forced indeed to accept 
of Sovereign Grace. On the other hand, we utterly 
repudiate the idea that man is himself ohlQ to "get 
religion," to "get through," to "grasp the blessing," 
etc. To such self-exaltation we give no place — no, not 
for a moment I 

With Luther we confess, "I beHeve that I cannot, 
by my own reason or strength, believe in Jesus Christ 
my Lord, or come to Ilim. But that the Holy Spirit 
hath called me by His Gospel, enlightened me by His 
gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in the true 
faith ; in like manner as He calls, gathers, enlightens, 



CONVERSION— HUMAN AGENCY IN. 155 

and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, 
and preserves it in union with Jesus Christ in the true 
faith. In which Christian Church He daily forgives 
me abundantly all my sins and the sins of all believers, 
and will raise up me and all the dead at the last day, 
and will grant everlasting life to me and to all who 
believe in Christ. This is most certainly true." 



CHAPTEK XXI. 

JUSTIFICATION. 
A MONG all the doctrines of oar lioly Christian 
faith, the doctrine of Justification by Faith alone, 
stands most prominent. Luther calls it: "The doc- 
trine of a standing or a falling church," i. e., as a 
church holds fast and appropriates this doctrine she 
remains pure and firm, and as she departs from it, she 
becomes corrupt and falls. This doctrine was the 
turning point of the Eeformation in the sixteenth 
century. It was the experience of its necessity and 
efiicacy that made Luther Avhat he was, and equipped 
him for a Reformer. Katurally, therefore, it occupies 
the chief place in all our Confessions, and is prominent 
in all the history of our Church. 

In these chapters on the " Way of Salvation," it has 
been implied throughout. There is indeed no doctrine 
of salvation that is not more or less connected with or 
dependent on this one. 

Sometime ago we noticed a statement of a certain 

bishop in a large Protestant Church, declaring that 

" not Justification, but the Divinity of Christ, is the 

great fundamental doctrine that conditions the stand- 

(156) 



JUSTIFICATION. 157 

ing or falling of a churcli." At first sight this seems 
plaasible. But when we come to reflect, we cannot 
but see that the true doctrine concerning the Person 
of Christ is not only implied, but embraced in the doc- 
trine of Justification by Faith. A man might be 
sound on the Divinity of Christ, and yet not know 
aright the Way of Salvation. But a man cannot be 
sound on Justification without being sound, not only 
on the Person of Christ, but also on His work and the 
Way of Salvation through Him. 

So much has been written and preached in our 
Church on this subject, that it is not necessary for us 
te enter upon a full discussion here. We will en- 
deavor, therefore, merely in outline, to call attention 
to a few of its most prominent and practical features. 

We inquire briefly into its meaning and nature. 
Justification is an act of God, by which He accounts or 
adjudges a person righteous in His sight. It is not a 
change in the person's nature, but it is a change in his 
standing in the sight of God. Before justification he 
stands in the sight of God, guilty and condemned. 
Through justification, he stands before God free from 
guilt and condemnation ; he is acquitted, released, re- 
garded and treated as if he had never been guilty or 
condemned. The justified person stands in the sight 
of God, as if he really had never committed a sin and 



158 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

were perfectly innocent. Thus it is clear that justifi- 
cation treats of and has regard to the sinner's relation 
to God. It has nothing to do with his change of na- 
ture. It is of the utmost importance that this be kept 
constantly in mind. It is by applying justification to 
the change in the sinner's nature that so many become 
confused, and fall into grievous and dangerous errors. 

The original source, or moving cause of justifica- 
t^ion, is God's love. Had God not " loved the world^'' 
there would have been no divine planning or counsel- 
ing for man's justification. Truly it required a divine 
mind to originate a scheme by which God ^' could he 
just and yet justify the ungodly ^ All the wisdom of 
the world could never have answered the question : 
''^ How can mortal man he just with GodV^ 

Man stood, in the sight of God, as a rebel against 
His divine authority, a transgressor of divine law, 
guilty, condemned, and wholly unable to justify him- 
self, or to answer for one in a thousand offences. God 
had given His word that, because of guilt, there must 
be punishment and suffering. This word was given 
before sin was committed, and was repeated a thousand 
times afterwards. There must then be obedience to 
an infinite law, or infinite punishment for transgres- 
sion. How could this gulf be bridged, and man saved? 

There was only one way, " God so loved the world 



JUSTIFICATION-. 159 

that He gave His only begotten Sony That son, ^^ the 
hrightness of the Father^s glory and the express wiage 
of His person^^^ ^^in whom dwelt all the fulness of the 
Godhead hodilyj^ came into our world. He came to 
take the sinner's place — to be his substitute. Though 
Lord and giver of the law, He put Himself under the 
law. He fulfilled it in every jot and tittle. He did 
no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. Thus 
He worked out a complete and perfect righteousness. 
He did not need this righteousness for Himself, for He 
had a righteousness far above the righteousness of the 
law. He wrought it out not for Himself, but for 
man, that He might make it over and impute it to 
the transgressor. Thu^, then, while man had no obe- 
dience of his own, he could have the obedience of 
another set down to his account, as though it were 
his own. 

But this was not enough. Man had siuned and 
was still constantly sinning, his very nature being a 
sinful one. As already noted, the divine Word was 
pledged that there must be punishment for sin. The 
Son, who came to be a substitute, said ; put me in the 
sinner's place ; let me be the guilty one ; let the blows 
fall upon me. And thus, He "W^o Imew no sin loas 
made sin (or a sin-oft'ering)/or usy He ^hvas made a 
curse^^ ^^bore our sins^^^ and "^Ae iiiiquity of iis a//," 



160 THE WAY OF SALVATION". 

He, the God-man, was regarded as the guilty one, 
treated as the gnilty one, suffered as the guilty one. 

He suffered as God, as well as man. And who will 
calculate what Immanuel can suffer? What must it 
have been when it crushed Him to earth, made Him 
cry out so plaintively, and at last took His life ! Our 
old theologians loved to say, that what the sufferings 
of Christ lacked in extensiveness or duration, they 
made up in intensiveness. -Thus there was a perfect 
atonement. All the punishment had been endured. 
A perfect righteousness had been wrought out, and 
the Father set His seal to it in the resurrection and 
ascension of His dear Son. Here, then, was real sub- 
stitution, and this is the ground for our justification. 

Justification is now purchased and paid for. But 
it is not yet applied. The sinner has not yet appro- 
priated it and made it his own. How is this to be 
done ? We answer : By faith. Faith is the eye 
that looks to Christ. It sees His perfect atonement, 
and His spotless righteousness. It is, at the same 
time, the hand that reaches out and lays hold of 
Christ, and clings to Him as the only help and the 
only hope. This faith, springing from a penitent 
heart, that realizes its own unworthiness and guilti- 
ness, renouncing all claim to merit or self-righteous- 
ness, casts itself on the divine Saviour, trusts implicitly 



JUSTIFICATION. 161 

in Him, and rests there. This faith justifies. Not 
because it is an act that merits or earns justification. 
Ko ! In no sense. Christ has earned it. Faith only 
lays hold of and appropriates what is already pur- 
chased and paid for. 

There certainly can be no merit in our faith, be- 
cause it is itself a ^^ gift of OodJ^ as the Scriptures 
declare. He that has the faith is justified, acquitted, 
forgiven. The appropriation or application, is when 
we believe with all the heart on the Son of God. 

Such, in brief, is the Lutheran doctrine of "Justifi- 
cation by Faith." We have not thought it necessary 
to quote from the Augsburg Confession or the Form- 
ula of Concord for proof. Neither is it necessary or 
desirable that we lengthen out this chapter with quo- 
tations from standard theologians. Any one desiring 
further proof or amplification can find abundance of 
it in all our Confessions, and in all recognized writers 
in the Church. Nor have we taken up the space with 
Scripture quotations. To quote all that the Bible 
says on the subject would be to transcribe a large 
proportion of its passages. It would necessitate es- 
pecially a writing out of a large part of the writings 
of Paul, who makes it the great theme of several of 
his epistles. Every devout reader of Paul's letters 

will find this great doctrine shining forth in every 
8* 



162 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

chapter, so much, so that the Komish bishop who was 
driven by Luther to a study of the JSTew Testament 
threw down his book and said: ^' Paul also has be- 
come a Lutheran /^^ 

In conclusion, we desire to impress one thought. 
The doctrine of Justification is so highly prized by 
the believer, not so much because of the grand and 
matchless scheme it brings to light, as because of the 
peace and comfort it has brought into his heart. He 
who truly embraces this doctrine, realizes its efficacy 
and power. It is precious to him, above all things, as 
a matter of personal experience. The experience is 
not the doctrine, but the result of receiving it. He 
has realized the blessedness of having his own sins for- 
given, his transgressions covered. Being justified by 
faith^ he has peace with God through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

This blessed experience was the root and spring 
of Lutber's courage and strength. Without this 
heart-experience, all theorizing about the doctrine is 
vain. Such a scriptural experience never develops a 
Pharisee. It never runs into self- exaltation. It con- 
stantly exalts and magnifies Christ. It habitually 
humbles self. It lays self low at the foot of the cross, 
and remains there. Kot that it is a gloomy or de- 
spondent spirit. For while it constantly mourns over 



JUSTIFICATION. 163 

the imperfections and sins of self, it, at the same time, 
constantly rejoices in the full and perfect salvation ot 
Christ. While it never ceases in this life to shed the 
tears of penitence, it never ceases to sing the joyful 
song of deliverance. It develops a Christian after the 
type of Paul and Luther, and Gerhardt and Francke. 
Blessed is he who understands and experiences justifi- 
cation by faith. Doubly sad the state of him who has 
the doctrine, without its experience and peace and 
glory. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

S4NCTIFIC4TION, 
T X the last chapter we showed that the doctrine of 
^ justification deals with the sinner's change of rela- 
tion, or change of state. 

We also learned that faith is the instrumental or 
applying cause of justification. In another place we 
showed that true faith presupposes penitence, and this 
again presupposes a sense and knowledge of sin. Again 
we showed that penitence and faith are the two essen. 
tial elements of conversion; that where these elements 
are found there is a change of heart, and the beginning 
of a new life. This new life is, however, only in its 
germ. These are the heginnings of new views, new 
affections, new actions, a new life. 

They are of a germinal or seed character. Xow it 
belongs to the very nature of life to develop, increase, 
and make progress. And it is this development or 
growth of the new life that we wish now to consider. 
It is called sanctification^ or growth of the soul into 
the image of a holy God. 

It is closely related to justification, and yet clearly 

distinct from it. In justification, God im.jputes or 

(164) 



SANCTIFICATION. 165 

counts over to the sinner tlie righteousness of Christ. 
In sanctification, God imparts the righteousness of the 
new life. Justification is what God does for the be- 
liever; sanctification is what His Spirit does in him. 
Justification, being purely an act of God, is instantane^ 
ous and complete; sanctification, being a work in 
which man has a share, is progressive. Justification 
takes away the guilt of sin ; sanctification gradually 
takes away lis power. Sanctification begins with jus- 
tification. So soon as the sinner believes, he is justi- 
fied; but just so soon as he believes, he also has the 
beginnings of a new life. 

In time, therefore, the two come together ; but in 
thought they are distinct. And it is of the greatest 
importance that these distinctions be understood and 
kept in mind. It is by confounding justification with 
sanctification, and vice versa^ that all the flagrant, soul- 
destroying errors concerning the so-called "higher 
life," "sinless perfection," etc., are promulgated and 
believed. It is by quoting Scripture passages that 
speak of justification, and applying them to sanctifica- 
tion, that this delusion is strengthened. How often 
have we not heard that precious passage : 1 John i. 7, 
^^ The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from 
all sinj^ quoted to prove entire sanctification. Now, 
if we understand the Scriptures at all, that passage 



166 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

speaks of the forgiveness of sin through, the efl&cacy of 
Christ's blood, and not of overcoming sin in the be- 
liever, or eradicating its very fibres and impulses. 

But this, perhaps, is a digression. Let us under- 
stand clearly what we mean by sanctification. The 
English word comes from a Latin word that means 
sacred, consecrated, devoted to holy purposes. The 
Greek word translated sanctify in our English Bible 
also means to separate from common and set apart for 
holy purposes. The same word that is translated 
sanctify, is in many places translated consecrate, or 
make holy. The English word saint comes from the 
same Latin root, and is translated from the same Greek 
root, as sanctify. It means a sanctified one, or one 
who is being sanctified. Thus we find believers called 
saints, or sanctified ones. We find, indeed, that the 
apostles call all the members of their churches saints. 
Thus they speak of "^Ae saints which are at Jerusa- 
lem^^- " The saints which are at Achaia,^^ ^^ To all that 
he in Rome , . . called to he sainis^^^ " As in all the 
churches of the saints^ So in many other passages. 

In harmony with the apostolic usage we confess in 
the Apostle's Creed : " I believe in the Holy Christian 
Church (which is) the communion — or community — 
of saints." If then saints means sanctified ones, or holy 
persons, do not the Bible, and the Apostle's Creed 



SANCTIFICATION. 167 

demand perfect sinlessness ? By no means. Chris- 
tians are indeed to strive to constantly become more 
and more free from sin. They are " called to he saints^^^ 
are constantly being sanctified or made holy. Bat 
their sanctity or holiness is only relative. 

They have indeed '^come out from the loorld^^^ to "5e 
separate.^'' They Sive ^^ a j)eculiar peopled They hate 
sin, repent of it, flee from it, strive 'against it, and 
overcome it more and more. They " mortify the deeds 
of the body ^'^ ^^heep it under J^ ^'' crucify the flesh with 
its affections andlusisf ^^ present — or consecrate — their 
bodies^ as living sacrifices, to OodT They have pledged 
themselves at Christ's altar to " renounce the devil 
and all his works and ways, the vanities of the world 
and the sinful desires of the flesh," and to live up to 
the doctrines and precepts of Christ. 

In so far, they are separated from the world, set 
apart to become holy, consecrated to Christ. Not 
that their sanctification or saintship is complete. If 
that were tlie case, the apostles would not have writ- 
ten epistles to the saints. For perfect beings need no 
Bibles, no Churches, no means of Grace. The angels 
need none of these things. There is indeed not one 
sinless person mentioned in the Bible, except that di- 
vine One, "?^Ao did no sin^ neither ivas guile found in 
His mouth J'' 



168 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

If there was one Scripture character who, if such a 
thing were possible, would have attained to sinless 
perfection, that one would certainly have been the 
greatest of all the apostles, Paul. He labored more 
than thej all; he suffered more than they all; he 
went deeper into the mysteries of redemption than 
they all. He was not only permitted to look into 
heaven, as the beloved John, but he " was caught up 
into the third heaven^ and heard words that it was not 
lawful for him to utter ^^ on this sinful earth. Oh what 
purifying through suffering ! What visions and rev- 
elations ! What experience of Grace ! And yet this 
burnished vessel never ^ professed sinless perfection. 
Indeed, he never ceased to mourn and lament the sin- 
fulness and imperfection of his own heart, and called 
himself the chief of sinners. He does indeed speak 
of perfection. Hear what he says, Phil. iii. 12, 13, 11: : 
^^ Not as though I had already attained^ either were al- 
ready perfect ; but I folloiu after ^ if that I may appre- 
hend that for ichich also I am apprehended of Christ 
Jesus. Brethren I count not myself to have appre- 
hended ; hut this one thing I do^ forgetting those things 
that are behind^ and reaching forward unto those things 
which are before^ I press toward the marh^for the 'jrize 
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus^ 

The saints on earth, then, are not sinless ones. The 



SANCTIFICATION. 169 

Bible does indeed speak of those born of God sinning 
not, not committing sin, etc. But this can only mean 
that they do not icilfulJy sin. They do not intention- 
ally live in habits of sin. Their sins are sins of weak- 
ness, and not sins of malice. They repent of them, 
mourn over them, and strive against them. They 
constantly pray, ^^ Forgive us our trespasses as ite for- 
give them that trespass against usT But their heart 
purity and sanctification are only relative. 

Sanctification is gradual and progressive. We have 
seen that Paul thus expressed himself. He was con- 
stanily following after ^ reaching forth ^ pressing toward 
the mark. He exhorts the Corinthians, 2 Cor. vii. 1, 
to be ^^ perfecting holiness in the fear of the LordJ^ and 
again, 2 Cor. iii. 18, to be '"''changed into the same im- 
age from glory to glory T He tells them in chapter 
iv. 16 that ^^the inward man is renewed day hy day J'' 
He exhorts the saints or believers, again and again, 
"to grow^^ "to increasej^ ^Ho abound yet more and 
more^ 

Growth is the law of the kingdom of nature. And 
the same God operates in the kingdom of Grace, and, 
indeed, much after the same order. Our Saviour, 
therefore, so often compares the kingdom of God, or 
the kingdom of Grace, to growth from a seed, where 
it is ^^ first the hlade^ then the ear^ arid then the full 



170 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

corn in the ear^'' Mark iv. 26-29. In harmony with, 
all this Paul calls those who have but lately be- 
come believers, ^^hahes in Christ^ He tells them 
they must be "/ec? with milk as babes,''^ etc. There- 
fore, it is quite natural that we find so many exhorta- 
tions to grow in Grace and in knowledge. 
■ How directly contrary to all this is the unscriptu- 
ral idea, not only of entire sanctification, but of in- 
stantaneous sanctification. Surely, in this fast age, 
many have run far ahead of prophets, apostles, mar- 
tyrs, reformers, and the most eminent saints of all 
ages. As we read the lives and words of these heroes 
of faith, we find that the more Christ-like and conse- 
crated they were, the more did they deplore their 
slow progress and their remaining sin. 

While, therefore, we have no Scripture warrant to 
expect sinlessness here, while we must "c/?*e c?a^7?/," 
^^ mortify our members^^^ and ^^ fight the good fight of 
faith'''' between the old Adam, whose remnants cleave 
to us, and the new man in Christ Jesus, we can still 
do much to promote our sanctification, and make it 
more and more complete. We can use the powers 
that God has given us to carry on the warfare 
with sin. We can increase these powers, or rather 
permit divine Grace to increase them, by a diligent 
u.Fe of the means of Grace. In the chapter on the 



SANCTIFICATION. - 171 

Word of God as a means of Grace, we showed that 
the Holy Spirit sanctifies through the Word. In the 
chapters on baptism and the baptismal covenant, we 
showed hoYi that holy sacrament is a means of Grace, 
whose efficacy is not confined to the time of its ad- 
ministration, but that it is intended to be a perennial 
fountain of Grace, from which we can drink and be 
refreshed while life lasts. In the chapters on the 
Lord's Supper, we learned that it also was ordained and 
instituted to sustain and strengthen our spiritual life. 
We have, therefore, all the means necessary for 
our sanctification. Do we prayerfully use them? 
Might we not be much further on in the work ot holi- 
ness than we are? Do we use ihe truth as we should, 
that we may be ^^ sanctified through the truth f^^ Do 
we ^^ desire the sincere milk of the Word, tliat we may 
grow thereby V^ Does it ^^ dwell richly among us V^ 
Know we not, or have we forgotten it, that "«s many 
of us as have been baptized into Christ, were baptized into 
His deathf^^ Do we say, with those early Christians, 
''''henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my 
body the marks of the Lord Jesus f " And when we go 
to our Lord's Table do we realize that His ^^ flesh is 
meat indeed, and His blood is drink indeedV^ Do we 
go in the strength of that heavenly nourishment many 
days? Might we not, by making a more sincere. 



172 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

hearty and diligent use of all these means of Grace, 
live nearer to Christ, lean more confidingly on Him, 
and do more effectually all things through Him who 
strengtheneth us? 

Yes, doubtless, we must all confess that it is our own 
fault that we are not sanctified more fully than we are; 
that if, in the strength derived from a proper use of 
the means of Grace, we would watch more over self, 
pray more, meditate more on divine things, and thus 
surround ourselves more with a spiritual atmosphere, 
we would be more spiritual. " This is the will of God, 
even your sanctification.^' " Without holiness, no man 
shall see the Lord,^^ 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

REYlYiJLS. 
TTTE migln have closed our studies of the " Way 
of Salvation" with SanctificatioD, without giv- 
ing any attention to the subject of Revivals. We 
remember, however, that, in the estimation of many, 
revivals are the most essential part of the Way ; so 
much so that, in certain quarters few, if any, souls are 
expected to be brought into the way of life, otherwise 
than through so-called "revivals of religion." Ac- 
cording to this widespread idea, the ingathering of 
souls, the upbuilding of the Church, her activity, 
power and very life are dependent on the revival 
system. 

In view of all this, we have concluded to bring our 
studies to a close with an examination of this system. 
Before we enter upon the subject itself, however, we 
desire to have it distinctly understood that we 
intend to discuss the system^ and not the people who 
believe and practice it. There doubtless are very ex- 
cellent Christian people who favor a religion built up 
and dependent on such movementSj and there may be 

very unchristian people who oppose it. With this we 

(173) 



174: THE WAY OF SALVATlO^-. 

have nothing to do. A^"e are not discussing persons^ 
but doctrines and systems. The advocates of modern 
revivalism claim the right to hold, defend and propa- 
gate their views. "We only demand the same right. 
If we do not favor or practice their way, our people 
have not only a right to ask, but it is our duty to 
give grounds and reasons for our position. 

In discussing this subject, we intend, as usual, to 
speak with all candor and plainness. We desire to 
approach and view this subject, as every subject, from 
the fair, firm standpoint of the opening words of the 
Formula of Concord, viz.: " We believe, teach and 
confess that the only rule and standard, according to 
which all doctrines and teachings should be esteemed 
and judged, are nothing else than the prophetic and 
apostolic Scriptures of the Old and iSTew Testament." 
We wish to test it by the infallible Word. By it, we 
are willing to be judged. According to it our views 
and doctrines must stand or fall. 

Wha'^ then, is a revival? The word revive means 
to bring back to life. It presupposes the existence of 
life, which for a time had languished or died. Life 
was present, it failed and was restored. ^ 

Strictly speaking, therefore, we can only use this 
word, of a bringing back of a life that had been there 
formerly and was lost. Applying it to spiritual life. 



EEVIVALS. ,175 

strictly speaking, odIj a person who has once had the 
new life in him, but lost it for awhile and regained it, 
can be said to be revived. So likewise, only a church 
or a community that was once spiritually alive, but 
had grown languid and lifeless, can be said to be re- 
vived. On the other hand, it is an improper use of 
terms to apply the word revival to the work of a for- 
eign missionary, who for the first time preaches the life- 
giving Word, and through it gathers converts, and 
organizes Churches. In his case, it is a first bringing, 
and not a restoring, of life. 

All those Old Testament reformations, and restora- 
tions to the true worship and service of the true God, 
after a time of decline and apostasy, were revivals 
according to the strict sense of the word. For these 
revivals patriarchs and prophets labored and prayed. 

On the other hand, the labors and successes of the 
apostles in the New Testament were not strictly revi* 
vals. They preached the Gospel instead of the law. 
They preached a Eedeemer who had come, instead of 
one who was to come. It was largely a new faith, a 
new life, a new way of life, that they taught, and 
largely a new Church that they established. Its types, 
and shadows, and roots, had all been in the old cove* 
nant and Church. But so different were the fulfilh 
ments from the promises, that it was truly called a 



176 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

New Dispensation. And therefore, the labors of the 
apostles to establish this dispensation were largely 
missionary labors. It was not so much the restoring 
of an old faith and life, as the bringing in of a new. 
We find their parallel in foreign mission work much 
more than in regular Church work. It is by over- 
looking this distinction that many erroneous doctrines 
and practices have crept into the Church, e. ^., as to 
infant baptism, conversion, and modern revivalism. 

As to revivals, popularly so-called, we maintain, 
first of all, that it ought to be the policy and aim of 
the Church to preclude their necessity. 

It is generally admitted that they are only needed, 
longed for and obtained, after a period of spiritual de- 
cline, and general worldliness. A Church that is alive 
and active needs no revival. A lifeless Church does. 
Better then, far better, to use every right endeavor to 
keep the Church alive and active, than permit it to 
grow cold and worldly, with a view and hope of a 
glorious awakening. Prevention is better than cure. 
We would rather pay a family physician to prevent 
disease, and to keep us well, than to employ even the 
most distinguished doctor to cure a sick household ■ 
especially if the probability were that, in some caseSj 
the healing would be only partial, and in others it 
would eventuate in an aggravation of the disease. 



REVIVALS. 177 

In the chapters on the Baptismal Covenant and on 
Conversion, we showed that it is possible to keep that 
covenant, and thus always grow in Grace and in the 
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. While we sor- 
rowfully admitted that such cases are not as numerous 
as is possible and most desirable, we also learned that 
they might be far more numerous, if parents and 
teachers understood their responsibility, and did their 
duty to the baptized children. We verily believe 
that thus it might become the rule, instead of the ex- 
ception, that the children of Christian parents would 
grow up to be Christ's lambs from baptism, would 
love Him with their earliest love, and never wander 
into the ways of sin. We also firmly believe that 
those thus early consecrated, trained, taught and 
nurtured in faith and love, make the healthiest, the 
strongest, and most reliable members and workers in 
the Church. 

Keither can we for a moment doubt but that such 
is the good and gracious will of Him who desires the 
little children to be baptized into Him. It certainly 
seems repugnant to all that we have ever learned of 
our God and Saviour, that it should be His will that 
our dear children, who have been conceived and horn 
in sin, and are therefore by nature, or by birth, the 
children of wrath, should remain in this state of sin 



178 THE WAY OF SALVATlOl^. 

and condemnation until they are old enough to be con- 
verted at a revival. Yet it must be either that, or a 
denial of the Bible doctrine of original sin, if we ac- 
cept the teachings and practices of modern revivalism. 
For this we are not prepared. 

Therefore it is our great aim and object to recall 
the Churcb to the old paths. Therefore we are con- 
cerned to see the Church firmly established on the old 
foundations of the doctrine of original sin, of baptism 
for the remission of sins, of training up in that 
baptismal covenant, by a constant, diligent and perse- 
vering teaching of God's Word, in the family, in the 
Sunday-school, in the catechetical class, and from the 
pulpit. In proportion as this is accomplished, in that 
proportion will we preclude the necessity of conver- 
sions and, consequently, of revivals. 

Who will say, that a congregation made up of such, 
as are ^^ sanctified from the womh^^ ^^ lent the LordJ' 
from birth, having ^^ known the Holy Scrij^ture^^ from 
childhood would not be a healthy, living Church? 
Such a Church would need no revival. Would it be 
possible to have such a Church ? Is it possible for any 
one member to grow up and remain a child of God? 
If possible for one, why not for a whole congregation? 
Are the means of Grace inadequate? No, no, the 
whole trouble lies in the neglect or abuse of the 



REVIVALS. 179 

means. "With a proper use the whole aspect of reli- 
gious life might be different from what it is. It is not 
a fatal necessity that one, or more, or all the members 
of a church must periodically grow cold, lose their 
first love, and backslide from their God. It is not 
God's will, but their fault, that it should be so. 

While the church at Ephesus lost its first love, and 
that at Pergamos permitted false doctrine to creep 
into it and be a stumbling block, and that a Thyatira 
suffered Jezebel to seduce Christ's servants, and that 
at Sardis did not have her works found perfect before 
God, and that of Laodicea had become lukewarm ; yet 
the church at Smyrna, with all her tribulation and 
poverty and persecution, remained rich and faithful 
in the sight of God, and that at Philadelphia had kept 
the Word of God's patience, and her enemies were to 
know that God loved her. While the former five 
were censured, the latter two were approved. The 
former might have remained as faithful as the latter. 
It was their own fault and sin that the former needed 
a revival. The latter needed none. Which were the 
better off'? 

We believe that where there is a sound, faithful and 
earnest pastor, and a docile, sincere, earnest, united 
and active people, many will grow up in their baptis- 
mal covenant ; and among those who wander more or 



180 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

less, therefrom, there will be frequent conversions, un- 
der the faithful use of the ordinary services and ordi- 
nances of the Church. Such, we believe, were the 
pastorates of Ei chard Baxter, at Kidderminster; of 
Ludwig Harms, at Hermansburg; of Oberlin, at Stein- 
thal; and of our late lamented Dr. Greenwald, at 
Easton and Lancaster. Kone of these churches, after 
their pastors were fairly established in them, needed 
revivals. And such, doubtless, have been thousands 
of quiet, faithful pastorates, some known to the world, 
and others known only to God. Blessed are those 
churches in which the work of Grace is constantly and 
effectively going on, according to God's Way of. Sal- 
vation. 



w 



CHAPTER XXIY. 

MODERN REVIVALS. 
E have shown that it ought to be the great aim 
and object of the Chnrch to preclude the ne- 
cessity of occasional religious excitements. We also 
showed, by example from Scripture and from Church 
history, that it is possible to attain this end. If 
parents did but "understand, and do their duty in the 
family, teachers in the Sunday-school, and pastors in 
the catechetical class and pulpit, children would very 
generally grow up in their baptismal covenant ; and a 
church made up of such members would not depend 
for its growth and life on occasional religious excite- 
ments. 

But — alas! that hut — parents, teachers, and pastors 
too often come short of their duty. Carelessness, 
worldliness, and godlessness, hold sway in too many of 
the congregations, homes and families. There is a 
spirit of love of pleasure, greed for gain, haste to be 
rich, that has taken hold of the heart and life of too 
many professedly Christian parents. There is no time 
for God's Word or earnest prayer with and for the 

children. There is often little if any religious instruc- 

(181) 



182 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

tion or Christian example. The little ones breathe in 
a withering, poisonous, materialistic atmosphere ; the 
germs of the divine life, implanted in baptism, either 
lie dormant, or are blighted after their first manifesta- 
tions. They grow up with the idea that the great 
object of life is to gain the most, and make the best of 
this world. 

In the Sunday-school the teachers are often careless 
and trifling. They do not live close to Christ them- 
selves, and how can they lead their pupils nearer to 
Him? They scarcely pray for themselves, much less 
for their pupils, and how can they instil into them a 
spirit of prayer ? 

Many pastors, also, are not as earnest and conse- 
crated as they should be. They are not burning with 
a desire for souls; they go through their ministerial 
duties in a formal and lifeless manner, and their labors 
are barren of results. These things should not be so, 
but unfortunately they are. As a result, children 
grow up ignorant of their covenant with God, or soon 
lapse therefrom, and are in an unconverted state. The 
communicants of the church lose their first love, and 
become luke-warm. An awakening is needed. 

If then we admit that, owing to man's imperfections 
and faults, times of refreshing are needed, why not 
have them after the manner of those around us ? Why 



MODEEN REVIVALS. 183 

not adopt the modern revival system, have union meet- 
ings, evangelists, high-pressure methods, excitements, 
the anxious bench, etc.? 

We will briefly state our objections to this system. 

First. We object to the modern revival system, be- 
cause it rests on an entire misconception of the coming 
and work of the Holy Spirit. The idea seems to be 
that the Holy Spirit is not effectively present in the 
regular and ordinary services of the sanctuary ; that 
He came to the Church as a transient guest on the day 
of Pentecost, then departed again, and returned when 
there was another season of special interest; then left 
again, and ever since has come and worked with power 
during every revival, and then departed to be absent 
till the next. 

Now we claim that this is directly contrary to the 
teaching of the Divine Word. 

When Jesus was about to leave His disciples they 
were filled with deep sorrow. He gathered them 
around Him, in that upper chamber of Jerusalem, and 
comforted them in those tender, loving words recorded 
in the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth chapters of 
John. In these chapters He promises and speaks 
much of a Comforter, whom He would send. The 
whole discourse goes to show that this Comforter was 
intended to be substituted for the visible presence of 



184 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

Himself. His own visible presence was to be with- 
drawn, the Comforter was to be sent to take His place, 
and thus, in a manner, make good the loss. Jesns had 
been their comforter and their joy. They would no 
longer have Him visibly among them, to walk with 
Him, to talk with. Him, to hear the life-giving words 
that fell from His lips. The announcement made them 
feel as if they were to be left "comfortless" and for- 
saken. But he says, John xiv. 16: ^^ I will pray the 
Father^ and He will give you another Comforter^ that 
He may abide with you forever^ even the Spirit of truth ;''^ 
verse 18, "/ will not leave you comfortless ; revised 
version, "I will not leave you desolate ;^^ more liter- 
ally still, as in the margin, "I will not leave you 
orphans^ John xvi. 5, 6, 7: ^^ But now I go ray way 
to Him that sent me. . . . But because I have said these 
things unto you^ sorrow hath filled your hearts. Never- 
theless I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that 
I go away^ for if I go not away the Comforter will not 
come unto you^ hut if I depart I will send Him unto youP 
Now, from these words, and others in the same 
chapters, two things are plain: First, that He came as 
Christ's substitute; Secondly, that He came to abide. 
While Jesus was to be absent, as far as His visible 
presence was concerned, the divine Comforter, the 
Holy Spirit, was to take His place. His presence was 



MODERN REVIVALS. 185 

to substitute Christ's. But if lie had come to be pres- 
ent only briefly, and occasionally, after long intervals 
of absence, it would be a poor filling of the painful 
void. Evidently the impression designed to be made 
by the words of Jesus was, that the Holy Spirit would 
come to abide. And this is made still more clear by 
the plain words of Jesus quoted above. — " I will not 
leave you orphans;^'' "He shall abide Yi'iih. you /or - 
everP He came, then, as a substitute; He came also 
to abide with us forever. 

The revival system is, however, built up on the idea 
that He comes and goes. He visits the Church, and 
leaves it again. At so-called revival seasons the 
Church has a Comforter; during all the rest of the 
time she is left in a desolate or orphaned state. Thus 
is the revival system built up on an entire misconcep- 
tion and misapprehension as to the coming and abid- 
ing of the Holy Spirit. 

It likewise misconceives entirely the operations of 

the Spirit. The idea seems to be that this Blessed 

One operates without means, directly, arbitrarily, and 

at haphazard. The Word and Sacraments are not 

duly recognized as the divinely-ordained means and 

channels, through which He reaches the hearts of the 

children of men. That this is an unscriptural idea we 

have shown elsewhere. That the Spirit uses the 
9* 



186 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

means of Grace as channels and instruments througli 
which He comes and operates on the hearts of men and 
imparts to them renewing and sanctifying Grace, is 
taught all through the New Testament. We need not 
enlarge on these points again, but refer our readers to 
what has already been written on this subject. 

Our second objection to the modern revival system 
arises out of the first. Because of the errors, concern- 
ing the coming and the operations of the Holy Spirit, 
the system undervalues the divinely-ordained means 
of Grace. Little if any renewing Grace is expected 
from the sacrament of Christian Baptism ; few if any 
conversions are expected from the regular and ordi- 
nary preaching of the Word; little if any spiritual 
nourishment is expected from the sacrament of the 
Lord's Supper. Who that has attended such meetings 
has not heard the idea of Grace bestowed through 
baptism ridiculed? Who has not heard so-called re- 
vival preachers scout the idea of "getting religion" — 
which must mean receiving divine Grace if it means 
anything —through catechising the young in the doc- 
trines of the divine Word? Are not these divine 
means often entirely set aside by the most enthusiastic 
revivalists? Who does not know that often at these 
revival services the reading and preaching of the 
Word are entirely omitted? Thus God's means, the 



MODERN REVIVALS. l87 

means used by Christ and His apostles, are under- 
valued. While thej are used at the ordinary services, 
when there is no revival going on, not ranch is ex- 
pected of them. 

Our third objection again arises from the second. 
Because the regular Church ordinances are under- 
valued, they are largely fruitless. Because people 
have not much faith in their ef&cacy, they do not re- 
ceive much benefit from them. Few conversions are 
expected or reported during the ten or eleven months 
of regular or ordinary church services, while many, 
if not all, are expected and reported from the few 
weeks of special eftbrt. Even the work of sanctifica- 
tion is largely crowded into the few weeks. It is dur- 
ing these few weeks that saints expect to be quick- 
ened, refreshed, strengthened and purified, more than 
during all the rest of the year. 

It is doubtless both as a cause and a result of this 
undervaluing and general fruitlessness of the ordinary 
Church ordinances, that we find so much levity and 
irreverence in many so-called revival Churches. Be- 
cause the Holy Spirit is not supposed to be effectively 
present, is not in the Word and Sacraments, does not 
bring His saving and santifying Grace through them ; 
therefore there is nothing solemn, awe-inspiring, or 
uplifting in these things. Therefore the young, even 



188 THE WAT OF SALVATION. 

some of the members, aud older ones, go to these 
ch"Qrches as to places of amusement, to have a good 
time, to laugh, to whisper, to gaze about, write notes, 
get company, and what not. 

A careful observer cannot fail to notice that in 
Churches which believe in and preach Grace through 
the means of Grace, there is an atmosphere of deeper 
solemnity and more earnest devotion than in such 
revival Churches. The above objections to the re- 
vival system we believe will explain the difference. 

Fourth. We object to the so-called revival system 
because, as a natural result of the above, it begets a 
dependence on something extraordinary and miracu- 
lous, for bringing sinners into the kingdom. As we 
have seen, these Churches expect nearly all their con- 
versions from '' revivals." It naturally follows that 
the unconverted will shake off, and get rid of, all 
serious thoughts and impressions, under the plea that 
they will give this matter their attention when the 
next revival comes round. We have more than once 
heard persons say in effect, "Oh well, I know I'm not 
what I ought to be, but perhaps I'll be converted at 
the next revival." Thus the gracious influences of 
the blessed Spirit, as they come through the Word, 
whether from the pulpit, the Sunday-school teacher, 
or Christian friend, or even when that AYord is 



MODERN REVIVALS. 189 

brought to a funeral or sick-bed, are all put aside 
with the hope that there may be a change at the next 
revival. And we verily believe that such ideas, fos- 
tered by a false system, have kept countless souls out 
of the kingdom of God. 

We object fifthly that at these so-called revivals 
there is a dependence on methods not sanctioned or 
authorized by the Word of God. As we have seen, 
God's means are generally slighted. On the other 
hand, human means and methods are exalted and 
magnified. 

The anxious or mourner's bench, is regarded by 
many otherwise sensible people, as a veritable mercy- 
seat, where Grace is supposed to abound — as though 
the Spirit of God manifested His saving and sanctify- 
ing power there as nowhere else. But this is a purely 
human institution, and has no warrant in the Word. 
On this point it is not necessary to enlarge. 



CHAPTEE XXV. 

I^ODERN REVIVALS, CONTINUED. 
TTTE continue our objections to the modern revival 
system. 
Our sixth objection is the utter indifference to doc- 
trine, that generally goes hand in hand with its 
methods and practices. To " contend earnestly for the 
faith once delivered to the saints,^^ seems to be alto- 
gether out of place at a modern revival. There is no 
" taking heed nnto the doctrine^^ or " holding fast the 
form of sound words^^^ or " becoming rooted and built 
up in Christy and established in the faith as ye have 
been taughtP There is no counselling to " be no more 
children^ tossed to and fro and carried about with every 
wind of doctrine^\' no warning against false teachers 
and false doctrines. Instead of thus following Christ 
and His Apostles, in insisting on the truth, the faith, 
and the doctrine ; instead of thus warning against 
error and false doctrine, and showing that it " doth eat 
as a canker ^^'' and endanger the very salvation of the 
soul, the modern revival system habitually inveighs 
against all such loyalty to the truth, and contending 

for the faith and pure doctrine, as bigotry, intoler- 

(190) 



MODERN REVIVALS. 191 

ance, lack of charity, if not lack of all " experimental 
religion." In many quarters indeed the idea is boldly 
advanced that the more a person stands np for pure 
doctrine, for Word and Sacrament, as channels of 
Grace, the less Grace he has ; and the more he makes 
light of doctrine, the less positive conviction he has, 
the less he thinks of creeds, catechisms, and confes- 
sions of faith, the more religion he has ! The popular 
sentiment is : it makes no difference what a person 
believes, or to what Church he belongs, or indeed, 
whether he belongs to any, if only he is converted ; 
if only he means well ; if only the heart is right I 
Now, it is not necessary to show here again that all 
such indifference to doctrine is directly contrary to the 
teaching of Christ and his Apostles. 

Our seventh objection is closely connected with the 
last. Where there is so much indifference to the Truth 
as it is in Jesus, that it often amounts to open contempt, 
we cannot expect any provision for teaching Plis sav- 
ing truths to men. Hence we find but small provision 
for doctrinal instruction in the revival system. Those 
who are expected to be gathered in, converted and 
brought to Christ, are not first instructed. They do 
not learn what sin is, what Grace is, and how it is 
communicated and applied ; they are left in ignorance 
of the great doctrines of sin and salvation ; they have 



192 THE WAT OF SALVATION. 

the most imperfect conception of God's Way of Sal- 
vation ; and yet they are expected to enter upon that 
way, and walk in it. They are exhorted to be con- 
verted, to get religion, and to believe, while it is sel- 
dom if ever made clear what all this means, and how 
it is brought about. 

Surely it is not necessary that we should show that 
if ever a person needs to act intelligently, — if ever he 
needs to know exactly what he is doing, why he is 
doing it, and what is involved in so doing — it is when 
he is acting in the interests of his eternal salvation. 
Then, if ever, he should act understandingly and 
honestly. And for this he needs instruction. We 
have shown elsewhere that this is God's way, the 
Bible way, the way of the early Church, the way of 
the great Protestant Eeformation, and the way of our 
Church of the Eeformation to this day. 

We therefore object to this modern revival system, 
because it has largely supplanted the old time system- 
atic and thorough indoctrination of the young. And, 
as we have elsewhere said, we are convinced that, just 
in proportion as the youth are uncatechised and unin- 
structed in the great doctrines of God's Word regard- 
ing sin and Grace, in that proportion will doubt, skep- 
ticism, unbelief, and infidelity infect them, and lead 
them into the paths of the destroyer. 



MODEKN REVIVALS. 193 

Our eighth objection to this modern revival system, 
is tliat it is so largely built np on the excitement of 
the feelings. The first and great object of the reviv- 
alist seems to be to work directly on the emotional 
nature of his hearers. If he can stir the depths of the 
heart until it throbs and thrills with pent-up emotions, 
if he can play upon its chords until they vibrate and 
tremble under his touch, until its hidden chambers 
ring again with responsive longings, until at last the 
repressed intensity breaks forth in overpowering ex- 
citement, he is considered a successful revival 
preacher. To reach this end the preaching is made 
up of exhortations, anecdotes and appeals. There 
are touching stories, calculated to make the tender- 
hearted weep. There are thrilling and startling ex- 
periences, calculated to frighten the more hard- 
hearted. There are lively, emotional songs, and stir- 
ring music, calculated to affect the nervous system, 
and bring about strange sensations. And when the 
feelings are aroused, when the excitement is up, the 
hearers are urged to come forward, to go to the in- 
quiry-room, to stand up, or do something to show 
that they are ready to take the decisive step. 

Now, as we have shown above, if ever a person 
needs to be calm and deliberate, it is when about to 
take the most important step of his whole life. But 



194 THE WAY OF SALVATION". 

men don't generally take important steps, or enter 
upon decisive movements when they are excited. 
When one is excited he is very apt to do the wrong 
thing, and regret it afterwards. ISTot that we object 
to all feeling in religion. TTe by no means believe 
in a religion without feeling. TVe know of no true 
piety without deep and heartfelt sorrow for sin, and 
earnest longings for ever closer union and fellow- 
ship with God, together with a childlike trust and a 
fervent love to Him. We believe, however, that the 
heart, with its emotions, can only be effectively 
reached tliroiigh the understanding. Through the 
mind we work on the heart. Through the judgment 
we change the feelings. We appeal first to the in- 
tellect, to instruct, to enlighten, to give clear and cor- 
rect views and ideas, then through the intellect to the 
heart. When Paul was sent to convert the Gentiles, 
his direction was first of all " to open their eyes — that is, 
to instruct them — and to turn them from darkness to 
light." Paul was not to begin on the feelings, but on 
the intellect. But the modern revival system reverses 
this method. It makes a short cut, and goes at once 
to the feelings, without first enlightening the mind. 
This is contrary, not only to the Scriptures, but it is also 
directly contrary to the science and laws of the mind. 
It contradicts mental philosophy as well as the Bible, 



MODEEN REVIVALS. 195 

We believe that where there is the proper instruc- 
tion in the great saving doctrines of God's Word, 
where the mind is properly enlightened to know what 
sin is, what salvation is, and how it is obtained, there, 
unless there is a positive and determined resistance to 
the power of truth, the proper feelings will come of 
their own accord. It will require no heart-rending 
stories, no frantic appeals, no violent exhortations, to 
bring them about. But we object to the revival sys- 
tem, because it is almost entirely built up on feeling, 
and thus reaches only one department of man's com- 
plex nature. Instead of changing the whole immate- 
rial man — his intellect, his sensibilities, and his will — 
it spends its force on the sensibilities alone. 

Our ninth objection we can state briefly. Because 
the revival system undervalues sound doctrine and in- 
struction therein, and because it depends so largely on 
feeling, it not only permits but encourages the ignor- 
ant and inexperienced, to assist in exhorting and help- 
ing those who are inquiring after life and salvation. 

Those who have scarcely "got through" themselves, 
who have given little earnest study to God's Way of 
Salvation, who do not know the alphabet of Grace, and 
the means and methods of Grace, — these are often the 
pretended instructors at the anxious bench and in the 
meetings for inquirers. ISTow, we object strongly to 



196 THE WAY OF SALVATIOIT. 

sugIi procedures. " Can the hlind lead the blind f Will 
they not loth fall into the ditchV^ Better let these nov- 
ices theniselves sit at the feet of Christ. Let Christ's 
teachers instruct them in God's Way of Salvation, be- 
fore they undertake to lead other lost and groping 
ones. 

"We o\,]^qX finally that, at the experience meetings 
held in connection with modern revivals, not only 
novices, as described above, but those who have been 
the veriest profligates, are encouraged to speak, and 
are at least permitted to recount and seemingly glory 
in their former sins. They do not speak as Paul did, 
when compelled to refer to his former life, with deep 
sorrow and shame, but often jestingly, flippantly, and 
as if they imagined that they ought now to be looked 
upon and admired as great heroes. We believe that 
this is all wrong, and productive of great harm. The 
unconverted youth, listening to such talk, says to him- 
self, " Well, if such a person can so suddenly rise and 
be looked up to and made a teacher of others, a 
leader of the experience and prayer-meeting, certainly 
I need not be uneasy; for I have a long way to go be- 
fore I get as far as he was." Therefore, we object to 
all such conduct. It is not only unscriptural, but un- 
becoming. It is an offense against good breeding and 
common decency. It does great harm. 



MODEBN EEVIVALS. 197 

But eDough. We might still speak of the spirit 
of self- righteousness, engendered and fostered by this 
system. We might speak of the sad results that fol- 
low with so many — how that persons become excited, 
have strange sensations and feelings, imagine that this 
is religion, afterwards find that they have the same 
old heart, no strength against sin, no peace of con- 
science, none of that bliss and joy they heard others 
speak of and expected for themselves, and gradually 
fall back into their old mode of life, become bolder 
than ever, and at last drift into hopeless unbelief, and 
say, "There is nothing in religion; I've tried it, and 
found it a delusion." Thus is their last state worse 
than their first. We might show that in sections of 
country where this false system has held sway, world- 
liness and skepticism abound. These places have 
been aptly called "burnt districts." It seems next to 
impossible to m^ake lasting impressions for good on 
such communities. 

We might speak of the proselyting spirit that so 
often accompanies this system. How with all its pro- 
testations for charity, brotherly love, and union, it 
often runs out into the meanest spirit of casting asper- 
sions on others and stealing from their churches. We 
might speak of the divided churches that often result. 
As Dr. Krauth once forcibly said, "They are united 



198 THE WAY OF SALVATION". 

to pieces, and revived to death." We might point to 
the divided households, to the destruction of family 
peace, to the many sad heart-burnings and alienations 
that result. But we forbear. The whole system is an 
invention of man. It is unscriptural from beginning 
to end. We cannot conceive of our blessed Saviour 
or his apostles conducting a modern revival. The 
mind revolts at tbe idea. 



w 



CHAPTER XXYI. 

ftJODERN REVIVALS, CONTINUED. 

E have given a number of reasons for refusing to 
favor or adopt the modern revival system as a 
part of the Way of Salvation. We would now add 
the testimony of others, not only of our own commu- 
nion, but also of other denominations. 

Undoubtedly one of the greatest and most import- 
ant of these religious movements was that one which 
swept over Presbyterian and Congregational Churches 
of New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and 
Virginia, about the middle of the last century. It is 
generally known and spoken of as " the great awahen- 
ingT Its leading spirits were such staunch and loyal 
Calvinists as Jonathan Edwards, the Tennents, Blair, 
and others. In the matter of doctrinal preaching 
and instruction it was certainly very far in advance of 
the so-called revivals of the present day. And yet in 
many of its direct results it was anything but salutary. 
It was the principal cause of the division of the Pres- 
byterian Church into Old and New School. 

Let us hear what some of the eminent theologians 
(199) 



200 THE WAY OF SALTATION. 

of these Churches say of the results of the great awak- 
ening : 

Dr. Sereno E. Dwight, the biographer of Jonathan 
Edwards, and one of his descendants, says : "It is de- 
serving perhaps of inquiry, whether the subsequent 
slumbers of the American Church for nearly seventy 
years may not be ascribed, in an important degree, to 
the fatal reaction of these unhappy measures." 

Jonathan Edwards, himself the most zealous and 
successful promoter of the whole movement, in 1750, 
when its fruits could be fairly tested, writes thus: — 
" Multitudes of fair and high professors, in one place 
and another, have sadly backslidden ; sinners are 
desperately hardened ; experimental religion is more 
than ever out of credit with the far greater part, and 
the doctrines of Grace and those principles in religion 
that do chiefly concern the power of godliness are far 
more than ever discarded. Arminianism and Pela- 
gianism have made strange progress within a few 
years . . . Many professors are gone off to great 
lengths in enthusiasm and extravagance in their no- 
tions and practices. Great contentions, separations, 
and confusions in our religious state prevail in many 
parts of the land." 

The above is from a letter to a friend in Scotland. 
We give also a brief quotation from his farewell 
sermon to his church at Nottingham : 



MODERN REVIVALS. 201 

"Another thing that vastly concerns your future 
prosperity is that you should watch against the 
encroachments of error, and particularly Arminian- 
ism and doctrines of like tendency . . . These doc- 
trines at this day are much more prevalent than they 
were formerly. The progress they have made in the 
land within this seven years, (^. e., since the revival,) 
seems to have been vastly greater than at any time in 
the like space before. And they are still prevailing 
and creeping into almost all parts of the land, threat- 
ening the utter ruin of the credit of those doctrines 
which are the peculiar glory of the Gospel and the in- 
terests of vital piety." 

Dr. Van Eensselaer, in commenting on these and 
other serious words of the great Jonathan Edwards, 
says : 

"And what was the final result? Arminianism led 
the way to Socinianism, and near the beginning of 
the present century there was but a single orthodox 
Congregational church in Boston. Harvard Univer- 
sity had lapsed into heresy, and about a third of the 
churches of the Puritans denied the faith held by 
their fathers." And all this he traces back to that 
"great awakening." He further says: "A work so 
great and extensive was accompanied by incidents 

which made many good men doubtful as to its effects 
10 



202 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

on the Church. Special seasons of religious interest 
are seasons of danger and temptation even under the 
guidance of the most enlightened and prudent. . . . 
Good men differed much in their estimate of the 
awakening, and the fruits of the work in many places 
afforded reason of much apprehension. ... In its 
earlier stages the revival was unquestionably the 
occasion of the conversion of many souls. It was like 
one of those mighty rains of summer which refresh 
many a plant and tree, but which are accompanied, 
in many places, with hail and storm and overflowing 
desolation, and which are followed by a long, dreary 
drought. The Presbyterian Church welcomes fair 
revivals, sent by the Holy Spirit, but is averse to 
man-made schemes for getting up temporary excite- 
ments which have been so prevalent in our day." 

During the years between 1830-1850, another re- 
vival agitation swept over the American Church. 
It was during this time, especially, that our English 
Lutheran churches caught the contagion, introduced, 
the " new measures," such as the " mourner's bench," 
protracted meetings, the admission of members with- 
out catechetical instruction, and many other nov- 
elties. In not a few places so-called Lutherans vied 
with the most fanatical sects in their wild extrava- 
gances. Those who adhered to the time-honored 



MODERN REVIVALS. 203 

method and spirit of conservative Lutheranism, who 
preached the "Word in all its simplicity, catechised 
the young, taught that the Spirit and Grace of God 
can only be expected to operate through Christ's own 
means, through Word and Sacrament, were denounced 
as formalists, who knew nothing of vital piety. 
Among the leading advocates of the new way was 
the Eev. Eeuben Weiser. This now departed brother, 
with many other serious and thoughtful men, after- 
wards saw the error of his ways, and frankly and pub- 
licly confessed his change of conviction in the Luth- 
eran Observer. He says : 

"In 1842 Dr. J. W. Nevin, of the German Re- 
formed Church, published a pamphlet called * The 
Anxious Bench.' It was, for that time, a bold and 
vigorous arraignment of the whole modern revival 
system. He warned the German churches against 
this style of religion, but his warning was not much 
heeded at the time. I felt it my duty to reply to Dr. 
Nevin in a pamphlet called " The Mourners' Bench." 
At that time I was in the midst of the most extensive 
revival of my whole ministry. I was honest and sin- 
cere in my views, for I had not then seen many of 
the evils that were almost certain to follow in the 
wake of revivals as they were then conducted. Per- 
sonally, I respected and esteemed Dr. Nevin highly. 



204 THE WAY OF SALVATION". 

but as he had opposed mj cherished views, I felt it 
my duty to write against him. I said some things 
long since regretted, and now, after the lapse of nearly 
half a century, make this amende honorahle. And it 
may be a source of pleasure to Dr. Nevin, who is still 
living, that the views which he so ably advocated in 
the face of much bitter opposition, have been gener- 
ally adopted by nearly all the Churches." 

Elsewhere Dr. Weiser has clearly expressed him- 
self as having become firmly convinced, that the old 
churchly method of careful and systematic instruc- 
tion of the young, is the only sure and safe way of 
building up the Church. He also quotes Dr. Morris 
as saying: "The mourners' bench was introduced in 
Lutheran churches in imitation of the Methodists, and 
disorders, such as shouting, clapping of hands, groan- 
ing, and singing of choruses of doggerel verses to the 
most frivolous tunes, whilst ministers or members, and 
sometimes women, were engaged in speaking to the 
mourners. Feelings were aroused, as usual, by por- 
traying the horrors of hell, reciting affecting stories, 
alluding to deaths in families, violent vociferation, 
and other means. At prayer often all would pray as 
loud as the leader. These exercises would continue 
night after night, until the physical energies were 
exhausted." 



MODEKN REVIVALS. 205 

Dr. Weiser proceeds: "Many of our churches that 
fostered this system were in the end injured by it. 
. . . Under the revival system it was very natural 
for the people to become dissatisfied with the ordinary 
means of Grace. There was a constant longing for 
excitement and when the ebullition of feeling abated, 
many thought they had 'lost their religion.' The 
next move was that as the preacher was so dead and 
lifeless they must get another who had more fire, and 
thus the old pastor was sent adrift." 

Dr. n. E. Jacobs writes thus of the revival system: 
"This system, if system it may be called, is in many of 
its elements simply a reproduction of the Eomish 
errors against which our fathers bore testimony in the 
days of the Keformation. Wide as is the apparent 
difference, we find in both the same corruption of the 
doctrine of justification by faith alone, without works, 
the same ignoring of the depths of natural depravity, 
the same exaltation of human strength and merit, the 
same figment of human preparation for God's Grace, 
the same confounding of the fruits of faith, with the 
conditions of faith, the same aversion to the careful 
study of God's Word, the same indifference to sound 
doctrine, and the same substitution of subjective frames 
of mind and forms of experience for the great objec- 
tive facts of Christianity, as the grounds of God's favor. 



206 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

" In both cases, all spiritual strengtli, whicli is in- 
separable from complete dependence solely upon the 
word and promise of God, and not in any way upon 
human sensations and preparations, is either withheld, 
destroyed, or greatly hindered ; and uncertainty and 
vacillation, despair, infidelity and ruin, often end the 
sad story of those who are thus left without any firm 
support amidst the trials of life, and under the strokes 
of God's judgments." 

" The same Church which in the days of the Refor- 
mation raised her voice against these errors, when she 
found the entire life of Christianity endangered by 
them, can be silent in the present hour, when the same 
errors appear all around her, only by betraying her 
trust, and incurring the guilt of the faithless watch- 
man who fails to give alarm." 

Let us hear also the testimony of our late lamented 
Dr. Krauth. He says : " How often are the urging that 
we are all one, the holding of union meetings, the 
effusive rapture of all-forgiving, all-forgetting, all- 
embracing love, the preliminary to the meanest sec- 
tarian tricks, dividing congregations, tearing families 
to pieces, and luring away the unstable. The short 
millennium of such love is followed by the fresh loos- 
ing of the Satan of malevolence out of his prison, and 
the clashing in battle of the Gog and Magog of sec- 



MODERN REVIVALS. 207 

tarian rivalry. There is no surer preparation for 
bitter strife, heart-burnings, and hatred, than these 
pseudo unionistic combinations. One union revi- 
val has torn religious communities into hateful di- 
visions which have never been healed. . . . And 
none have suffered so much, by these arts, as our Lu- 
theran people, who, free from guile themselves did 
not suspect it in others. Well might we ask with 
the ' Apology ' : ' Are they not ashamed to talk in 
such terms of love, and preach love, and cry love, and 
do everything but practice love?'" 

In conclusion we wish to present the testimony of 
some of the most eminent divines of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. Of all others they will certainly 
not be accused of being prejudiced against modern re- 
vivals. 

At the close of the celebrated " Hippodrome re- 
vival," in New York City, conducted by Messrs. 
Moody and Sankey, in the spring of 1876, the Metho- 
dist Episcopal ministers, at a stated meeting, reviewed 
the revival and its results. The New York Herald 
gave the following account of their meeting: "The 
Methodist ministers had under consideration the ques- 
tion of the value of special evangelistic efforts in 
regular Church work, with particular reference to the 
number of Hippodrome converts who may have 



208 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

united with their churches. For two weeks a mem- 
ber of the Hippodrome committee had distributed 
cards to the preachers with the names of persons who 
declared themselves converts of Mr. Moody's meetings. 
Four thousand had been reported as the fruits of the 
ten weeks special effort. Ten thousand inquiries had 
been reported. 

"Dr. Eobert Crook took the ground that special 
evangelistic agencies are not necessary, and that the 
work is more permanent and successful when per- 
formed through the regular church channels. Eev. 
J. Selleck, of Lexington avenue church, had sent 
about sixty of his members as singers and ushers, and 
had not only received not a single convert from that 
place into his church, but had been unable to gather 
in the members he gave them, who were still running 
here and there after sensations! Kev. J. F. Eichmond 
had received a number of cards, and could report two 
or three converts who would unite with his church. 
But in connection with Hope Chapel he had not 
much success. He had gone to live places indicated 
on the cards as residences of converts, but could find 
none of them. This was his experience also with 
many others whom he had sought out. Eev. John 
Jones had received many cards, and had found out 
some direct frauds, and many others nearly so. He 



MODERN REVIVALS. 209 

did discover eight persons converted at Moody's meet- 
ings, six of whom wonld unite with his church. Eev. 
C. G. Goss did not think any one effort or kind of 
effort was going to convert the world. We could not 
measure religious efforts by financial or numerical 
measurements. As to the general question, he had 
the history of ten city churches always known as 
revival churches. In 1869 they had reported one 
hundred probationers each. In 1870 they reported a 
net loss of five hundred, making, with the probation- 
ers reported, a loss of fifteen hundred in one year, in 
ten churches. 

"Bedford street church was an example of a revival 
church. St. Paul's the opposite. The former re- 
ported, in twenty years, twenty-five hundred proba- 
tioners. But the increase of her membership for that 
period was only one hundred and twenty-eight. He 
could not account for this. On the other hand St. 
Paul's reported four hundred and forty-eight proba- 
tioners, for twenty- five years, and her increase in 
membership has been two hundred and eighty-six. 
This was to him an argument in favor of regular 

church work." 
10* 



I 



CHAPTER XXYII. 

TRUE REVIVALS. 

N the preceding pages we have seen that the 
Church ought constantly to aim at keeping up 
such a state of spiritual life as to render revivals un- 
necessary. 

"We have also admitted, that owing to human in- 
firmity and carelessness, the spiritual life will ofttimes 
languish in individuals, in families, in congregations 
and communities; and that, at such times, a spiritual 
awakening and refreshing is necessary. 

We have further shown, that the modern revival 
system is unscriptural and positively injurious in its 
consequences, and therefore cannot be regarded or 
adopted as a part of God's Way of Salvation. What 
then is to be done? A revival is really needed. 
What sort of a revival shall be longed for, prayed for 
and labored for ? 

In the first place, let there be a revival in each in- 
dividual heart. Let it be a daily dying unto sin^ a 
daily living unto righteousness^ a daily putting off the 
old man^ a daily putting on the new man — a daily re- 
pentance for sin, and a daily turning to and laying 

(210) 



TRUE REVIVALS. 211 

hold of Christ. Such a revival is Scriptural and effi- 
cacious. It will not only put an end to the languor 
and deadness of the past, but it will preclude the 
necessity of future periodic excitements. 

Along with this individual revival, let there be a 
constant revival of the whole congregation. Let 
every service in God's house be a renval service ; let 
each worshiper be a mourner over his sins, each pew 
an anxious seat. To this end let the preaching of the 
Word be plain and direct. Let it be full of ^^repent- 
ance towards Ood and faith in our Lord Jesus ChristJ^ 
Where hearts are not wilfully closed against such 
preaching of " the truth as it is in Jesus ^^^ they will, 
through its power, become ^^ broken and contrite 
hearts,'^ from which will arise earnest pleadings for 
forgiveness and acceptance, and faith will come and 
grow by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. 
Where the Word is truly preached and rightly heard 
there will be a constant and scriptural revival. Each 
service will be "a time of refreshing from the presence 
of the Lordr 

In addition to the regular weekly service, the 
Church also has her stated communion seasons. 
These, if rightly improved by pastor and people, can 
be made still richer seasons of Grace. 

In our Lutheran Church, with her deep, significant 



212 THE WAY OF bALVATlON. 

and inspiring doctrine of this holy Sacrament, with 
her solemn and searching preparatory service, every 
such season ought to be a time of refreshing. What 
an auspicious opportunity is here offered for special 
sermons to precede the Holy Communion, for recall- 
ing the wanderer, awaking the drowsy, stirring up the 
languid, instructiDg the inquiring, and establishing 
the doubting! What pastor who has a Christ-like 
interest in the spiritual w^elfare of his people, and 
who has used his communion seasons to this end, has 
not often realized that they are indeed times of re- 
freshing from the Lordf 

These communion seasons become still more effec- 
tive and valuable when they come, as they generally 
do in our Lutheran Church, in connection with our 
great Church Festivals. Our Church has wisely held 
on to these great historic feasts. They have from the 
earliest times been the Church's true revival seasons. 
Church historians inform us that during the age 
immediately succeeding the time of the Apostles, 
when the Church was still pure and fervently devout, 
these Festival Seasons were the real high-days, the 
crowning days of the year. On these occasions the 
Word was preached with more than ordinary power, 
and the Sacraments were dispensed with unusual 
solemnity. Then the churches were filled to over- 



TRUE REVIVALS. 213 

flowing, a solemn stillness reigned over city and coun- 
try, worldly cares and pleasures were laid aside, and 
the great saving facts of the Gospel then commemo- 
rated were the all-absorbing theme. At such times, 
the worldly and careless felt an almost irresistible im- 
pulse to follow the happy Christian to the house of 
God. Multitudes of sinners were converted and 
gathered into the Church of Jesus Christ, while saints 
were strengthened and built up in their holy faith. 

Thus these festival communion seasons were true 
revival seasons. And why should it not. be so still ? 
What more inspiring and impressive than these great 
facts which ou.r church festivals commemorate? If 
the solemn warnings of the Advent season, the glad 
tidings of the Christmas season, the touching and 
searching lessons of the Lenten season, the holy, in- 
spiring joy ousness of the Easter season, or the instruc- 
tive admonitions of the Pentecostal season will not 
attract and move and edify the hearts of men, what 
will ? What has the radical part of the Church 
gained by setting aside these seasons, hallowed by the 
use of Christ, His apostles and martyrs, the Church 
Fathers and Reformers ? Is the modern revival system 
and the Week of Prayer arrangement an improve- 
ment? Can any modern self-appointed committee 
get up a better or more efi'ective program than our 



214 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

historic Passion Week services, crowned with its 
Easter communion? Assuredly no! There can be no 
new "program," however broad or spicy, that can be 
adapted to bless the saint and sinner, like our old 
order, following the dear Saviour, step by step on his 
weary way to the cross and tomb, and thus preaching 
Christ Crucified for, at least, one whole week in the 
year. Though there may be progressive Greeks to- 
day to whom this preaching of Christ Crucified is 
''''foolishness,^^ or materialistic Jews to whom it is 
"a stumbling -hlock,^^ we know it is still the power of 
God and the wisdom of God to all who believe. We 
know that there can be nothing so truly promotive of 
true religion, so well adapted for the conversion of 
sinners and the sanctifying of believers, as this preach- 
ing of the cross. We do not wonder, therefore, that 
after a comparatively short experience in the new 
way, earnest voices are raised, in quarters whence a 
few years ago came nothing but ridicule of Lenten 
services, pleading for the old historic Passion Week, 
instead of the new Week of Prayer. Not that we 
object to a week of prayer. We only object to the 
substitution of this modern week, with its diversified 
program, for the old week with its Bible Passion 
lessons. 

Thus then we see that there is abundant provision 



TRUE REVIVALS. 215 

and opportunity for special seasons of awakening and 
refreshing by following the regular Church Year. 

We would not, however, claim that, in the present 
state of affairs, there is no need, occasion, and opportu- 
nity for still more marked and general awakenings. 
The word of God speaks of " times of visitationj^ 
'''■times of refresliing^^ an '"''accepted time^^ a ''^ day of 
salvation^'' " tliy day^^ etc. There are times and sea- 
sons when the good Lord draws especially near to sin- 
ners to convert and save them; times when His Spirit 
manifests Himself more fully in the Church than at 
other times. In His own wise Providence He brings 
about and prepares the Church for such times. Thus, 
when, from causes noted above, the Church grows cold 
and languid. He sends afflictions of various kinds. 
People are made to realize the uncertainty and unsat- 
isfactoriness of the affairs of this life. By losses, dis- 
eases, bereavements, or bitter disappointments, God 
seeks to wean them from their worldly idols. He 
brings them to reflection. They " come to themselves^ 
They are ready to recall and hear the Father's voice. 
They are willing to hear the long neglected Word. 
They go to the house of God. They listen eagerly. 
The Word finds free course. There is no wilful resist- 
ance. It drops as the rain and distils as the dew. It 
does not return void. 



216 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

If now the pastors and people knoiv this "time of 
visitation," if they realize that it is a " time of re- 
freshing /rom the Lord^'' not gotten up by human ex- 
pedieots, they will qnickly respond to these gracious 
indications. Whether such times come in connection 
with the communion and Festival seasons or not, 
special provision ought to be made to gather the 
quickly ripening harvest. It is sometimes well to 
make provision for special services. There may be a 
series of special sermons. The preaching must be, 
above all things, instructive^ a plain and direct setting 
forth of the Way of Salvation. The appeal must be 
first of all to the understanding, and through it to the 
heart. The exhortations and invitations must be 
based on and grow out of these instructions. The 
great themes of sin and Grace, and the application 
and reception of Grace, should be set forth with all 
possible simplicity and earnestness. 

This preaching of the Gospel and instruction in the 
way of life should not be confined to the pulpit. The 
wise pastor will give opportunity for all inquirers to 
meet him privately, or will seek them out to tell 
them the way of God, as it relates to each individual 
case, still more plainly. This will be a true revival. 
Blessed are the churches that can discern and use 
the times, when ^'' Jesus of Nazareth jpasseili hyP 



TRUE REVIVALS. 217 

Every faithful, earnest pastor can have such seasons 
of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Every 
such pastor in looking back over a reasonable period 
of service can point to such precious seasons in his 
ministry. Such seasons result in a growth of true 
Church life. The means of Grace, after su^h revivals, 
are more diligently and more prayerfully used than 
ever before. The Word of God and prayer take their 
proper place in the home. The Church in the house 
is quickened into life and activity. There is increased 
liberality in the congregation. The pocket book is 
converted as well as the heart. There is a revival of 
strict honesty and truthfulness in all business aftairs. 
All tricks of trade, deceptions, imposing on ignorance, 
short weights and measures, adulterations, making 
money by betting, taking or giving chances of any 
kind, everything in fact that is questionable^ if not 
openly dishonest, is abolished. 

Worldly companionship, questionable amusements, 
pleasures that draw the heart away from God, are 
avoided. Eeligion is not only a Sunday garment, but 
a living force that shows itself in every department of 
life. The world takes hnoiuledge of true converts that 
they have been with Jesus and learned of Him. Such 
are the results of a true revival. In such we believe. 



CHAPTEE XXYIII. 

CONCLUSION. 
TTTITH this chapter we conclude our studies on the 
Way of Salvation. They have been extended 
much beyond our original purpose. We remarked in 
the beginning, that we have written for plain people ; 
for those who, surrounded by all forms and varieties 
of belief and unbelief, are often attacked, questioned 
and perplexed as to their faith, and their reasons for 
holding it. Our object has been to assist our unpre- 
tentious people always to be ready to give an answer 
to those who ask a reason for the hope that is in them. 

We also remarked in the beginning that there often 
come to our people arrogant and self-righteous persons, 
who say " the Lutheran Church has no religion," that 
it " does not bring its members into the light," and 
does not " believe in or insist on personal salvation." 

Unfortunately there are only too many Lutherans 
who do not know how to answer such bold and base- 
less assertions. Sometimes they apologize for being 
Lutherans, and timidly hope that they may find sal- 
vation in their own Church ! Many also have been per- 
suaded to abandon the Church and faith of their fathers 

(218) 



CONCLUSION. 219 

to find more light and religion elsewhere. After 
having been wrought upon and strangely affected by 
human and unscriptural methods, after they have ex- 
perienced some new sensations, they proclaim to the 
world that now they have found the light which they 
could never find in the Lutheran Church ! And thus 
not a few of our simple-minded and unreflecting people 
are led to depart from the faith, and follow strange de- 
lusions. 

Our people need to be better informed about their 
own Church. When they come to understand what 
that Church is, and what she teaches, they will be 
" no more children tossed to andfro^ and carried about 
with every wind of doctrine^ hy the sleight of men and 
cunning craftiness^ whereby they lie in wait to deceived 

It is to assist them to such an understanding and 
appreciation of the truth as it is in Jesus, and is con- 
fessed by our Church, that we have written these 
pages. If they have strengthened any who are weak 
in the faith, removed any doubts and perplexities, es- 
tablished any who wavered and made any love the 
Church and her great Head more, we are more than 
repaid. 

Whatever may have been the effect of reading these 
chapters, the writing of them has made the Church of 
the Keformation, her faith and practices, more pre- 



220 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

cious than ever to the writer. He has become more 
and more convinced that what Eome stigmatized as 
"Lutheranism" is nothing else than the pure and sim- 
ple Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Let us take a rapid backward glance. We see that 
the Lutheran Church grasps fully -and accepts unre- 
servedly the whole sad and unwelcome doctrine of sin. 
She believes all that is written as to the deep-going 
and far-reaching consequences of sin — that every 
soul comes into this world infected with this fearful 
malady, and therefore, unfit for the kingdom of God 
and under condemnation. She believes therefore that 
every human being, down to the youngest infant, must 
have its nature changed before it can be saved. The 
necessity of this change is absolute and without excep- 
tion. 

In the very beginning, therefore, we see that no 
Church places the necessity of personal renewal and 
salvation on higher ground than does the Lutheran 
Church. She believes that our blessed Saviour has 
appointed a means, a channel, a vehicle, by and 
through which His Holy Spirit conveys renewing 
Grace to the heart of the tender infant, and makes it 
a lamb of His flock. She believes that where Christ's 
sacrament of holy Baptism — which is the means re- 
ferred to — does not reach a child, His Spirit can and 



CONCLUSION. 221 

will reacli and renew it in some way not made known 
to us. 

She believes that the beginning of the new life in a 
child is a spiritual Z^zVif A ; that this young life needs 
nourishment and fostering care for its healthy de- 
velopment; that it is the duty of Christian parents to 
see to this ; that the Sunday-school and catechetical 
class are helps offered to the parents by the Church. 
She believes that by this nourishing of the divine life 
in the family and Church, ''^with the sincere milk of 
Gocfs TForc/," the baptismal covenant can be kept 
unbroken, and the divine life developed and increased 
more and more. 

After careful instruction in the home and Church, 
if there is due evidence that there is Grace in the 
heart, that penitence and faith, which are the ele- 
ments of the new life, are really present, she admits 
her children to the communion of the body and blood 
of Christ, by the beautiful and significant rite of con- 
firmation. 

The scriptural doctrine of Christ's holy sacrament, 
which our Church holds and sets forth, and the 
solemn, searching preparatory service she connects 
with it, make it truly calculated to strengthen the 
child of God, and unite him closer to Christ. 

Our Church insists that the whole life of the be- 



222 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

liever, in the fellowship of the Saviour and His peo- 
ple, is to be a "growth in Grace and in knowledge." 
In this, also, he is wonderfully assisted by our teach- 
ings concerning the efficacy of the word of God as a 
means of Grace, a vehicle and instrument of the Holy 
Spirit. He is further comforted and quickened by 
that precious doctrine of justification — alone by faith 
in Jesus Christ. He is encouraged to press forward 
to the mark, to purify himself more and more, to be- 
come more and more active, earnest and consecrated 
by what the Church teaches of sanctification. 

Nor does the Church overlook or forget the sad 
fact that many — often through the fault of those who 
ought to be their spiritual guides in the home and 
Church — lapse from their baptismal covenant, or for- 
get their confirmation vows, and thus fall back into 
an unconverted state. She insists on the absolute ne- 
cessity of conversion or turning back, for all such. 
She does not, however, expend all her energies in pro- 
claiming its necessity, but also sets forth and makes 
plain the nature of conversion, and the means and 
methods of bringing it about. 

While the Church would, first of all, use every 
endeavor to preclude the necessity of conversion, by 
bringing the children to Jesus that He may receive 
and bless them through His own sacrament; and 



CONCLUSION". 223 

while she would use all diligence and watchfulness to 
keep them true to Christ in their baptismal covenant, 
yet, when these do fall away, she solemnly assures 
them that except they repent and be converted, they 
will eternally perish. 

And if this lamentable backsliding should take 
place more or less with a large portion of a congrega- 
tion, our Church prays and labors for a revival. 
While she repudiates and abhors all that is unscrip- 
tural, and therefore dangerous, in the modern revival 
system, she yet appreciates and gives thanks for every 
" time of refreshing from the LordP 

Yes, the Lutheran Church does believe in salvation, 
in the absolute necessity of its personal application, 
and in eternal perdition to every one who will not 
come to God in the only way of salvation — through 
Jesus Christ. 

The Lutheran Church believes in a Way of being 
saved. She has a positive system of faith. Her sys- 
tem of the doctrines and methods of Grace is a com- 
plete, a consistent, a simple, an attractive one. It 
avoids the contradictions and difficulties of other 
ways and systems. It is thoroughly loyal to God's 
Word. It gives all the glory of salvation to God. 
It throws all the responsibility of being saved on 
man. It is indeed the highway of the Lord, where 



224 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

the redeemed can walk in safety and in joy. It is the 
old path, the good Way wherein men can find rest 
unto their souls. It is the Way trodden by Patriarchs, 
Prophets, and ancient servants of God. It is the 
Way of the Apostles, and Martyrs, and Confessors of 
the early Church — the Way that became obscured 
and almost hidden during the dark ages. It is the 
Way for the bringing to light and re-opening of 
which God raised up Martin Luther. 

Yes, the nominally Christian Church had largely 
lost that Way. God wanted to put her right again. 
For this purpose lie raised up the great Eeformer. Is 
it not reasonable to believe that He would lead him 
and guide him and enlighten him to know and point 
out this Way aright? If the Lutheran Eeformation 
was a work of God, does it need constant improve- 
ments and repetitions? No! we believe that God led 
Luther aright, that the Way of Salvation to which 
He recalled the Church through him is the Divine 
way. Millions have walked in it since his day, and 
found it a good, safe, and happy Way. No one who 
has ever left it for another w'ay has gained thereby. 

We conclude with the eloquent words of Dr. Seiss : 
" We do not say that none but Lutherans in name 
and profession can be saved. But we do assert that if 
salvation can not be attained in the Lutheran Church, 



CONCLUSION. 225 

or the highway of eternal life cannnot be found in her, 
there is no such thing as salvation. There is no God 
but the Grod she confesses. There is no sacred Scrip- 
ture which she does not receive and teach. There is 
no Christ but the Christ of her confession, hope, and 
trust. There are no means of Grace ordained of God, 
but those which she uses, and insists on having used. 
There are no promises and conditions of divine accept- 
ance, but those which she puts before men for their 
comfort. And there is no other true Ministry, Church, 

or Faith than that which she acknowledges and holds." 
11 



THE LUTHEKAN CHUECH. 



My Church! my Church! my dear old Church! 

My fathers' and my owu! 
On Prophets and Apostles built. 

And Christ the Corner-stone! 
All else beside, by storm or tide. 

May yet be overthrown ; 
But not my Church, my dear old Church, 

My fathers' and my own! 

My Church! My Church! My dear old Church! 

My glory and my pride! 
Firm in the faith Immanuel taught, 

She holds no faith beside. 
Upon this rock 'gainst every shock, 

Though gates of hell assail, 
She stands secure, with promise sure, 

" They never shall prevail.*' 

My Church! my Church! my dear old Church! 

I love her ancient name ; 
And God forbid a child of hers 

Should ever do her shame! 
Her mother-care I'll ever share, 

Her child I am alone, 
Till He who gave me to her arms 

Shall call me to his own. 

My Church! my Church! my deai- old Church! 
I've heard the tale of blood, 
(226) 



THE LUTHERAN CHURCH. 227 

Of hearts that loved her to the death — 

The great, the wise, the good. 
Our martyred sires defied the fires 

For Christ the Crucified ; 
The once-delivered faith to keep 

They burned, they bled, they died. 

My Church ! my Church ! I love my Church, 

For she exalts my Lord ; 
She speaks, she breathes, she teaches not 

But from his written Word ; 
And if her voice bids me rejoice. 

From all my sins released, 
'Tis through th' atoning sacrifice. 

And Jesus is the Priest. 

My Church ! my Church ! I love my Church, 

For she doth lead me on 
To Zion's palace Beautiful, 

Where Christ my Lord hath gone. 
From all below she bids me go 

To Him, the Life, the Way, 
The truth to guide my erring feet 

Fiom darkness into day. 

Then here, my Church ! my dear old Church ! 

Thy child would add a vow 
To that whose token once was signed 

Upon his infant brow : 
Assault who may, kiss and betray, 

Dishonor and disown. 
My Church shall yet be dear to me. 

My fathers' and my own ! 



